Chrono Paradigm
by grey0716
Summary: One boy finds himself lost in an unknown world, where he can only remember his name: Kain. Now he must find his memories alongside his new friend, Iris Esperanto, by tracking down the only person who seems to have a key to his memories: Ragna the Bloodedge. Contains many OCs.
1. Chapter 1: Reawaken

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 1: Reawaken**

* * *

AN: Hello there. Welcome to the start of Chrono Paradigm. This is my first fanfiction, so it would be helpful if you could leave reviews on how I can make the story better. Let the story begin!

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except for the OCs that appear in Chrono Paradigm**. I am just a humble fan of BlazBlue who supports its epicness and I hope you do too. Well, enjoy.

_Text=thoughts from our main hero_

* * *

_...where am I?_

_I can't see anything. I can't feel anything._

_Hell, I can't even move._

_Am I dead?_

_No, that can't be it. I know I can still breathe. I'm doing it right now, right?_

_So, what happened? Where am I? Why am I like this?_

_...Might as well try and wake up, if I can..._

* * *

After a moment, one man woke up in the middle of what appears to be a town. The man had long, blonde, spiky hair where some of it was tied in a ponytail with silver highlights, long bangs, emerald like green eyes, and was wearing a black shirt under a large red coat that is wrapped with black belts and pants. His left arm seemed to be wearing a black gauntlet, covering his left hand. With him was what appeared to be a long rifle, but with the blade and handle of a sword hooked onto a belt that was holding his coat closed. As he got up, the man looked confused about his surroundings.

"Where in God's name am I?" he asked himself as he scratched his head.

"What the hell happened?" he went on as he tried to recall the events that led him here. "Goddamn it, I can't remember anything at all."

As he looked around, he noticed that the townspeople saw him as crazy.

"Better get out of here, at least," the man said.

He made his way into a bar after several moments of wandering around, where he sat in an empty table.

"Now that I'm alone, let's try and put any pieces together," he stated to himself. "For some unknown reason, I'm stuck in who knows where, and I can't even recall how or why I got there. Heh, not much to work with."

He looked at the sword-like gun that was hanging from the belt that he had on.

"Judging from this weird slab of metal," he went on as he inspected his attire. "I'm either a soldier or a vigilante. Since I'm pretty sure soldiers don't in anyway wear stuff like this, I'm pretty sure I'm a vigilante."

As he inspected his attire, he noticed the gauntlet on his left arm.

"God know what this is hiding..." Kain said to himself.

After reassessing his situation, he got back up.

"Well, if I can't remember anything," he said. "Might as well start with figuring out where I am first of all... God do I even have a name?"

He tried to remember real hard, until it hit him.

"Kain," he said to himself. "Yeah that's right, my name is Kain."

* * *

As Kain was walking around town, he talked to many people about the current events, and where he was. After several hours, he managed to at least figure out where he was.

"So I'm in Ibukido," Kain said. "Doesn't ring that much of a bell, but what is concerning me is this 'Ragna the Bloodedge'."

From what he has gathered, Ragna the Bloodedge is an SS criminal with the highest bounty in recorded history, about enough to buy a small country. Also known as the 'Grim Reaper', he possesses the Azure Grimoire, a very powerful grimoire that he used to destroy several branches of the Novus Orbis Librarium, or NOL for short.

"It's not that he's NOL's most wanted," Kain said. "Something seems familiar about that name...like I know him...ah God I'm just confusing myself! Goddamn it why is it this hard to cure a measly amnesia, for Christ sake!"

"U...Um...excuse me?" a timid voice asked from behind.

"What!? Can't you see I'm-!?" Kain yelled as he turned to see who interrupted him.

The person who interrupted him was a girl, a little shorter than him, with beautiful black hair, ruby like red eyes, and seemed to be wearing a white poncho.

"I-I'm sorry," she said scared. "You seemed to be troubled, so I was wondering if you were okay."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Kain said coldly. "I'm just pissed, that's all."

"Why are you angry?" the girl asked. "I may not know who you are or your problems, but I can still act as a listener."

Kain looked confused.

"Why would you help me?" Kain asked. "We only met like a few seconds ago. And for all you know, I could be a dangerous criminal."

"I find it my job," the girl said. "To help those who need it. And besides, you don't seem to be a bad person."

"...Whatever..." Kain replied, still confused at the girl's act of generosity.

* * *

The two sat down on a bench as Kain discussed to her what happened up to now.

"So you're an amnesiac who just happened to find himself in Ibukido?" the girl asked.

"Pretty much," Kain said. "And I have no idea or leads into getting them back."

The girl looked worried for Kain, where he realized one lead.

"Well there's one lead," Kain said. "...Ragna the Bloodedge."

The girl's worried look suddenly dropped to a grim one.

"You know 'Ragna the Bloodedge?'" the girl asked.

"I have amnesia," Kain shot back coldly. "How in God's hell do you think I know him?"

Kain's logic cut through the girl's suspicions like a hot knife through butter and only left guilt and a hint of relief.

"Although his name sounds familiar," Kain said. "But I just can't put it together."

"Well he is a rather famous terrorist," Iris said.

"No, more than that," Kain said. "It's liek I know the guy. i just can't put my tongue to it."

"Maybe you knew him before you got amnesia," Iris said. "But then you two got into a fight, which lead to the two of you fighting."

"Sounds logical," Kain agreed. "But then wouldn't this Ragna guy killed me? And I don't seem to have any wounds on me, or any traces of them being treated."

Kain showed the girl his perfectly untouched figure. No bruises, no scar, nothing.

"True..." the girl said. "Maybe he must have given head trauma that left you unconscious, convincing Ragna the Bloodedge that you were dead, so he just left."

"If that's the case," Kain conversed. "Then wouldn't you guys have spotted Ragna? I mean there's no chance that I would have gone anywhere if Ragna knocked me out here, and if he did, then he must be in the area."

"We haven't seen him nor have we received any reports on his appearance in Ibukido," the girl said. "He's very good at maneuvering without our attention."

"I guess you're right," Kain agreed once more. "There's no telling in how long I was out cold. For all we know, Ragna the Bloodedge could be long gone by now."

Kain sighed, as their conversation wasn't leading him any closer to his memories, or who Ragna the Bloodedge is. This is where the girl notices Kain's weapon.

"That's a rather peculiar weapon you have there," the girl said.

"Right," Kain said as he took out his sword. "I don't even know where I even got this. Or how to use it. Pretty cool looking if you ask me though."

As Kain tested out the sword, the girl stared at Kain.

"You know..." the girl said. "You kind of look like Ragna the Bloodedge."

That took Kain by surprise.

"Huh?" he asked. "How do I look anything like that guy? I checked out that wanted poster of him, and I'm not a narcissistic freak here, but I'm pretty damn sure that I'm way better looking than him!"

As proof, Kain showed the girl a poster of Ragna, where it drew Ragna as a very 'disgusting' figure.

"Well...albeit those posters are really inaccurate..." the girl said with a nervous laugh. "But you do look like him. The attire and the weapon share a hint of similarity..."

"You sure?" Kain asked confused as he stared at the sword.

'Still, holding this thing...' Kain thought to himself. 'It feels familiar...'

"Um..." the girl interrupted Kain's thoughts.

"? What's wrong?" he asked.

"I was wondering," the girl said. "What's your name?"

"My name?" Kain asked. "It's Kain."

"Okay then, Kain," the girl said. "I never got to ask you that, so I was worried on what to call you this whole time."

"What about you?" Kain asked. "I introduced myself, so why don't you?"

"Oh! Right..." the girl said as she reached her hand out. "I am Iris Esperanto. A lieutenant of the NOL Zero Squadron."

Satisfied, Kain shook her hand.

"It's an honor to meet you," Kain said. "Now, I guess I'll be going then."

As Kain made his preparations to leave, Iris stopped him.

"Wait, do you have to go now?" she asked.

"Well, I'm gonna have to find this 'Ragna' guy if I'm gonna need some answers," Kain said.

"Well...just be careful..." Iris said. "Finding Ragna the Bloodedge is going to be-"

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted. "But may I interrupt your conversation."

The two turned to see a young lady in a similar attire as Iris, but it was all black. She had long red hair, red menacing eyes, and carried an odd looking book. While Kain looked confused, Iris looked as if she was about to pee herself.

"M-Major Yayoi!" Iris exclaimed.

"You know her?" Kain asked.

"Major Tsubaki Yayoi," Iris whispered to Kain as she approached them. "She's my superior and part of the Duodecim."

As such, Tsubaki walked up to them, eyeing Kain suspiciously.

"Lieutenant Esperanto," Tsubaki addressed. "Who is this?"

"Oh, this is..." Iris stammered, trying to think of a good excuse to make sure that Kain wasn't found suspicious. "A...A vigilante! He was asking for information on Ragna the Bloodedge!"

"Oh?" Tsubaki asked, as she glared at Kain. "You're so naïve, Lieutenant."

"Um...can I help you?" Kain asked.

"Yes, do you honestly think that we would give you any information on Ragna the Bloodedge?" Tsubaki asked.

"Honestly, yes," Kain joked. "Well your subordinate here seemed pretty friendly, and all."

"Every vigilante is after Ragna the Bloodedge and his enormous bounty," Tsubaki said. "Ragna the Bloodedge's capture is put under the highest importance by the Imperator after his recent terrorist actions in Kagutsuchi. I'm sorry, but access to his information cannot be allowed."

"I see then," Kain said. "Well then, I bid you two adieu."

As Kain made his exit, Tsubaki however, stopped him in his tracks by holding a blade behind his neck. Even without any memories, Kain could figure out what was going on.

"Doesn't that seem to be a little hostile for a proud NOL officer?" Kain asked sarcastically.

"Don't take that tone with me," Tsubaki shot back. "Why do you want to find Ragna the Bloodedge?"

"Does it really matter to you?" Kain asked. "If I capture Ragna the Bloodedge and hand it over to you, then it would make your job all that easier, won't it?"

"Do you honestly think that I'll fall for that obvious lie?" Tsubaki asked.

_I'd hope so. Personally that's my only ticket out of this conversation._

"I overheard your conversation about Ragna the Bloodedge with Lieutenant Esperanto," Tsubaki explained. "It seems apparent that you have once clashed blades against Ragna the Bloodedge, but alas, he bested you, and here you are, with no memory."

"And?" Kain asked. _Where is this leading to?_

"So I'm just warning you, do not go after Ragna the Bloodedge," Tsubaki warned him in her most threatening tone. "Just leave him to the professionals and go back to your lowly guild. You couldn't possily be able to keep up with him."

_Well, isn't she a bitch. I'd like to give her a piece of my mind, but at this rate, I can't afford making a commotion._

"Sorry," Kain shot back angrily. "But I really need to find Ragna the Bloodedge."

Tsubaki looked suspiciously at Kain.

"Why are you so hung up on Ragna the Bloodedge?" Tsubaki asked.

_Because he could be a damn lead to my memories_. "I'm a vigilante," Kain said. "You should get the picture."

Tsubaki did not take off her suspicious glare at him as he examined his attire.

"You know," Tsubaki said. "You bear a striking resemblance to him."

"And?" Kain asked. _So what?_

"So...you must have some connection to Ragna the Bloodedge," Tsubaki said.

"How do you know I'm just some fan of his and decided to take on his look?" Kain asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Tsubaki scoffed. "Like anyone will be a fan of that murderer. Especially if they're a vigilante. Now come with me. I'll see if you truly have any connections to Ragna the Bloodedge."

As Tsubaki tried to restrain Kain, Iris interfered.

"!? Iris?" Kain exclaimed in surprise.

"What's the meaning of this, Lieutenant?" Tsubaki asked rather annoyed.

"Kain isn't in league with Ragna the Bloodedge!" Iris exclaimed desperately. "I can assure you!"

"Why are you defending him, Lieutenant?" Tsubaki asked puzzled and annoyed.

"Kain has no memories of himself at all!" Iris argued. "How could he possibly be in league with someone like Ragna the Bloodedge!? Isn't it our job to protect the innocent from criminals!? Kain's innocent!"

"There's the possibility that he could be a sleeper agent that Ragna the Bloodedge set up to infiltrate the NOL," Tsubaki shot back. "Posing as a normal civilian to gain the trust of naive officers like you, and get informaiton on us from said officers so that he can report it back to his master."

"That's ridiculous!" Iris continued to defend Kain. "Kain has _no_ connections to Ragna the Bloodedge!"

_Why is she defending me? She just met me._

"Lieutenant," Tsubaki replied coldly. "If you continue this foolish endeavor, then I will have no choice but to brand you as a traitor who is in league with Ragna the Bloodedge."

Iris looked shocked and devastated after hearing Tsubaki's threat.

"Well?" Tsubaki asked. "What will you do?"

After deep thought, Iris mustered up all of her courage and stated this. "Even if I am to be branded as a traitor, I cannot lie to myself! Kain is not in league with Ragna the Bloodedge!"

Kain and Tsubaki looked surprised at Iris' act of courage. Kain was impressed and took back, but Tsubaki looked disappointed.

"You had potential," Tsubaki said. "And I am truly disappointed to do this."

She took out her blade and turned her book into a shield.

"Lieutenant Iris Esperanto," Tsubaki announced. "For being in league with SS criminal Ragna the Bloodedge, I hereby place you along with this sinner under arrest! Prepare to be judged!"

As Iris looked mortified, Tsubaki charged at her with her blade up high, but suddenly, Kain defended Iris with his sword.

"Kain?" Iris asked.

"Isn't this mature," Kain said sarcastically. "You turn on your subordinate the second she defends someone on a crime that she didn't even commit. Yeah, real mature."

Tsubaki backed up, where Kain got his sword ready.

"Do you really think you can take me on?" Tsubaki asked rather confidently. "You don't have any memories, so how do you expect to fight with that weapon?"

"Better than just sitting by," Kain said. "And watch you hurt her."

"Foolish sinner," Tsubaki said as Iris looked worried. "Do you really think that you can beat me?"

"Well, we won't know until we try, will we!?" Kain exclaimed as he charged towards Tsubaki.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the NOL Main Headquarters, a man wearing a black suit and sporting green hair with closed eyes was carrying some files to an office. He nonchalantly opened the door to see a man wearing a mask and had a rather dark aura around him.

"Colonel Relius," the man in the suit said. "Here are those files that you wanted."

"I see," the man named Relius said. "Just place them over there."

Relius pointed to the desk near a table, where the man in suit just sighed and placed the heavy pile of papers on it.

"But seriously," the man in suit asked. "Why are you bothering with this? Wasn't our goal to complete the Sword of Hades? What gotten you so interested in this all of a sudden? We don't need something that we already have."

Relius, or better known as Colonel Relius Clover of the Engineering Department and the "Mad Puppeteer", didnt seem to be interested in Hazama's questions.

"Hazama," Relius answered. "Do you believe in the time loops and their possibilities?"

Hazama looked confused.

"Well duh, we've been using them to our advantage," Hazama said matter-of-fact. "Until that shitty Raggs and Noel Vermillion screwed it up."

"What about the possibilities of the timeline?" Relius in turn asked.

"Well they're all ruined because of those two lovebirds," Hazama said. "But I was able to see all of them before destroying it. Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

Relius turned on a projector, which was showing Tsubaki's battle with Kain.

"Did any of your possibilities show this outcome?" Relius asked.

Hazama, who was normally at the top of his game, knowing practically everything, was flabbergasted. He did not recognize the boy that was in battle. Even when Hazama has seen all of the 'possibilities', not in any one of them did it show the boy.

"Who the hell is that?" Hazama asked.

"Why isn't that Tsubaki Yayoi, your personal subordinate?" Relius asked jokingly.

"Not the bitch, you idiot!" Hazama yelled back, more angry than usual. "The damn brat that she's fighting!"

"I thought you knew," Relius continued with his teasing jokes. "You have seen all of the possibilities, haven't you? So why do you not know of this boy's appearance?"

Hazama had a rather annoyed look on his usual playful look.

"Okay, okay, I get what you're trying to say," Hazama said. "So that's why you need this old piece of junk?"

"Partially," Relius said. "Those are just needed for some negotiations."

Hazama looked confused.

"These files are for the Murakumo Units," Hazama said. "Who in hell do you plan to give these to?"

"To me," a rather distorted voice interrupted.

Hazama turned to see a man with another mask, completely covering his face, wearing a black overcoat, having long silver hair, and wearing a black wizard hat.

"And this is?" Hazama asked.

"You may call me 'Envy," the man addressed in a distorted voice.

"He apparently knows the boy that even bewilders you, Hazama," Relius said. "But in return for any information regarding him, he has asked us to give him the files for the Murakumo Units."

"You're kidding," Hazama said. Giving up top secret files that not even a handful of the NOL knows about. And here was Relius, the man responsible for making the Murakumo Units, saying that he will give said top secret files to some random stranger.

"Is it really that important?" Hazama asked. "Why can't we just force him to spill the beans?"

On cue, Envy pulled out a gun and aimed it at his head.

"I am confident that I can pull the trigger faster than you can summon your Nox Nyctores, 'Geminus Anguium: Ouroboros'," Envy said. "Captain Hazama, or should I say, Yuuki Terumi."

Hazama was stunned that this Envy character even knew his alter ego.

"I swear to you," Envy went on, putting down the rifle. "That I am on your side. I only wish to gain the data for the Murakumo Units for my own agendas not involving the NOL or your plans."

Reluctantly, Hazama thought about it for a moment.

"You do realize that I am the only one with any information on the mystery warrior," Envy mentioned. "Don't you? I hope you make a wise decision."

"...Very well then," Hazama strained to say as he picked up the pile of files. "Let's see what you got."

Hazama gave Envy the files, in which he carried them with one arm.

"I thank you for your cooperation," Envy said gleefully. He turned his head to Kain on the screen.

"Now then," Envy continued. "I'm sure you are curious in why that boy is able to escape your sights. He is..."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN: **And that's it for our first chapter. Already, our amnesiac hero runs into trouble wtih the NOL, and a mysterious jester makes his appearance. This is all just for build up, as it is only the beginning. Again, please give me reviews on the story to help a novice like me out.


	2. Chapter 2: New Beginnings

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 2: New Beginnings**

* * *

**AN: Hello again. Here's Chapter 2 to Kain's continuing journey and we get to see just how good he is.**

_Text=_Kain's thoughts.

* * *

_Why am I doing this?_

_Not even a day passed, and already it seemed that I pissed off the military with this "Ragna the Bloodedge" crap._

_But still, I'm gonna have to find him to get some answers._

_It's my only option at this point..._

* * *

At the monorail station, Kain was locked in battle with Tsubaki and her weapon, which appeared to be a short sword shaped like a quilt tip and a book for a shield. Kain had no idea how to use the sword, except to just swing it around and hope for the best, yet he seemed to be keeping up with Tsubaki.

"Impressive," Tsubaki said. "I think I underestimated you."

"Why thanks!" Kain exclaimed. "Happy to impress you, Major!"

Kain pushed Tsubaki away with great force.

_But still, this sword- gun- whatever it is. It feels familiar._ _It's like I used it several times before... but against who?_

"Kain!" Iris exclaimed.

Kain snapped out of his thoughts and barely blocked Tsubaki's blade almost piercing his chest.

"Okay, let's not play the memory game when I'm about to get skewered," Kain said as he pushed Tsubaki back. "But, if this thing's supposed to be a gun..."

Kain shifted the handle to the side and aimed it like a rifle at Tsubaki.

"Then I should be able to do this!"

Kain started to shoot energy-like bullets at Tsubaki like a gatling rifle, in which Tsubaki managed to dodge barely.

"To think your weapon had that kind of feature!" Tsubaki exclaimed impressed. "So I was underestimating you. But not anymore!"

Tsubaki then charged at Kain with her book as a shield fast enough to catch him off guard. Using the opening it gave, Tsubaki flung a blade upwards at Kain, and then finished it with a frontal stab, sending him crashing.

"Gah!" Kain gagged as he crashed into some steel barrels.

"Kain!" Iris cried.

As Kain got back up, Tsubaki got in front of him, slid and tripped him, and then followed with an upper kick, sending him into the air.

_Damn! I shouldn't be rejoicing just because it worked on her!_

Kain recovered in midair, only to see that Tsubaki seemed to be charging her shield.

"Damn it!" Kain muttered. "Like hell am I gonna let her get stronger!"

Kain pointed his sword at her and dropped towards her like a rock. Unfortunately for him, Tsubaki saw that coming and swiftly dodged it. Kain crashed into the ground, his sword now stuck to the earth.

"Shi–" Kain exclaimed.

Tsubaki slammed her shield at Kain, trapping him in a sort of binding circle, where Tsubaki changed her blade into a scythe.

"Confutatis Maledictus!" Tsubaki yelled as she shot a large orb of light that collided with Kain, breaking him through the circle, but leaving him wounded heavily.

_Damn it! Can't I do anything!?_

"Pathetic," Tsubaki said. "Is what I should say now?"

Kain got back up as Iris helped him.

"I guess that didn't go as planned," Kain moaned, the pain getting to him. "But then again, why wouldn't it."

As Tsubaki walked towards Kain to continue her judgment, Iris got in her way.

"Please stop this, Major!" Iris begged. "He's in no condition to fight!"

"Whether or not," Tsubaki scoffed ruthlessly. "He deserves judgment. But if you are willing to accept it in his place, then I will be more than willing to give it to you!"

With that, Tsubaki ruthlessly kicked Iris out of the way, sending her to a pile of drum barrels. Kain, realizing this, became extremely angered at that act.

"What the hell was that for!?" Kain yelled. "She's your subordinate!"

"_Was_ my subordinate," Tsubaki shot back. "Now she is just a lowly traitor to the country, like you."

Tsubaki went from Kain and instead to Iris to finish her off.

_Unbelievable! Isn't Iris supposed to be her friend!? How can anyone be this cruel!? She's gonna pay!_

* * *

Meanwhile, back at NOL headquarters, Hazama, Relius and Envy were watching the battle, where Envy had already revealed Kain's true identity.

"You've got to be kidding me," Hazama said, flabbergasted. "Well, isn't that one hell of a surprise, ain't it?"

"Isn't it?" Envy commented with his distorted voice. "And such is why you should consider Kain as a viable, if not deadly threat to you."

"Indeed," Relius said. "But such a waste. An interesting test subject with a vast amount of potential, gone to waste because of his amnesia. He cannot fully access the plethora of his abilities. But it would still be worth the effort to evaluate his soul."

"Oh do not worry," Envy said. "He will gain his memories in due time. You must be patient."

Envy looked back at the screen and paused for a moment. You couldn't tell his expression due to his mask.

"Oh my," Envy said. "Looks like he has already made the first step to his road to recovery."

Relius and Hazama looked up to see that something was wrong with Kain.

"This will be good enough to demonstrate," Envy said. "A mere 'fraction' of Kain's potential."

* * *

Back at the monorail station, Kain stood back up.

"_Hey_," Kain mumbled.

Tsubaki looked to see what Kain was mumbling about, but saw something horrific. A dark aura semed to spread around Kain, as his once emerald green eyes flashed a blood red. His sword started to glow in a red light, starting to flow out what appears to be blood.

"Get your hands off of her..." Kain growled. "YOU BITCH!"

Now losing control of his temper, Kain raced towards Tsubaki with tremendous speed and rammed her with the edge of his sword, sending her flying onto a wall of an upcoming train, and bounce back from all of the force. Kain then flung his sword upward and sent her flying, and then slammed the sword onto her, crashing her into the ground. Iris managed to get herself back up to see Kain's more violent state.

"Kain...?"Iris asked, a little horrified.

Kain seemed to be moaning in pain as he continued to overwhelm Tsubaki with his newly enhanced abilities. He couldn't seem to control himself.

"What is this!?" Tsubaki yelled. "He suddenly became stronger!?"

Kain charged energy into his blade and raced towards Tsubaki with extreme speed.

"Destrudo...Blade!" Kain yelled as he slammed the blade against Tsubaki, inflicting an even greater pain than any she has ever felt.

"Gah!" Tsubaki yelped as she was pummeled to the walls of the station. She fell to the ground, defeated. Kain walked over to Tsubaki and aimed her sword at her, prepared to finish her off.

"Kain!" Iris cried. "You can't!"

Just as Kain was about to do it, he stopped at the last minute. Whether Iris' cry reached him or not, Kain pulled back and calmed himself down.

"What...the hell...was that?" Kain asked himself in great confusion and fear. "What did I do? For a second there, I juts blacked out and..."

Kain turned to see Tsubaki, whom he had beaten to a bloody rag of a pulp.

"Holy crap! What the hell happened to her!?" Kain yelled.

Iris sighed in relief, as to that Kain reverted back to normal, then suddenly grabbed his arm and hightailed it out of there.

"Huh!? What!?" Kain asked.

"We need to get out of here!" Iris told him.

"Why!? What did I do!?"

"You beat Major Yayoi to a pulp! Now everyone from the Zero Squadron will be after us!"

"Wait...I did that!?" Kain asked, disbelieved.

"Yes! You suddenly went psycho and pummeled her!" Iris exclaimed frantically. "Aw...now my life as a normal civilian is over..."

"Well sorry," Kain said with guilt as they managed to get out of the city at least, without anyone noticing.

"It's not your fault," Iris said panting. "It didn't seem like you could control yourself. And you did it to protect me...so..."

Iris seemed to be blushing a little.

"Well, now what are you going to do?" Kain asked. "Pretty sure that neither of us can go back to the NOL."

"True," Iris said. "If we did, then we would probably be executed or something. I bet'cha they're already making wanted posters of us."

"Well, I hope they look better than Ragna's poster, at least," Kain said jokingly. "But seriously, what will you do?"

Iris gave Kain a rather surprised look on her face.

"Why, I'm going to travel with you, Kain," Iris said flatly.

"What!? Why!?" Kain exclaimed.

"It's not like I have anywhere else to go," Iris said. "Since we're both fugitives who defied an NOL officer, we might as well stick together. Plus I wanna meet this Ragna the Bloodedge, now. I want to see just how bad this guy is."

Kain looked rather worried, but sighed in the end.

"Fine," Kain said. "Since I'm pretty damn sure that I won't be able to maneuver myself out in this place, might as well have a buddy who knows this world to guide me."

Iris took a little bow.

"It will be my honor, Kain," Iris said.

With that, the two traveled out of Ibukido in search for Ragna the Bloodedge, in hopes that he has a key to unlocking Kain's memories.

* * *

Meanwhile at NOL headquarters.

"Well wasn't that one hell of a show," Hazama said. "He managed to beat Major Yayoi!"

The three were still watching the fight, until it ended with Kain's rampage and Iris getting Kain out of the scene.

"But what to expect from a trash collector like her, though," Hazama said unamused. "Of course if she can't handle this much, then she truly is useless."

Relius paid no attention to Hazama badmouthing Tsubaki and was more curious about Kain.

"So that's the boy's powers?" Relius asked Envy, curious.

"Only a fraction of course," Envy said. "But that is a good example of his Overdrive, **Blood Overload**."

"Oh?" Hazama asked less than impressed. "And pray tell, what is this overdrive?"

"His overdrive grants Kain with limitless power," Envy explained. "Power when channeled to his attacks, can put even the mightiest of warriors to their rest."

"Interesting," Relius said.

"Heh! Limitless power, you say?" Hazama scoffed. "Oh I'd love to be the judge of that!"

"Of course all weapons have their weaknesses," Envy continued. "For Kain, his overdrive, like any other, is time based, and it seems that he can only resort to this if he wants to use his abilities."

"Meaning?" Hazama asked.

"Since he has no memory," Envy explained. "He cannot remember anything about how he fights or his own natural limits. So his body is forcing the overdrive as a way to use the powers. Of course once Kain regains his memories, he will not have to resort to such drastic measures, but for now, it seems that Kain can only activate this ability in sudden spikes in his emotions. Very unstable and totally unreliable if you ask me."

"So in other words," Hazama responded. "He's just a regular piece of shit that can only be any threat when he's in a pissy fit?"

"That's one way to put it," Envy said.

After staring at the screen, Relius suddenly headed for the door.

"Where do you plan to go, Colonel?" Hazama asked. "Don't tell me that you plan to meet the boy right now?"

"Of course not," Relius said. "I'm not like you. I intend to see all of the boy's abilities first, then evaluate how I should test him."

With that Relius was off, leaving Hazama with Envy.

"Well isn't that a bummer," Hazama said in a rather playful tone, as he faced Envy. "So what do you plan to do?"

"I wouldn't mind going out for some fresh air," Envy said. "This place is rather stuffy, for my taste."

He looked around at all of the files on who knows what everywhere, whether they be neatly organized, or sloppily placed on some desk, like what Hazama did.

"Oh, and I would like to request that my identity is to be in secret," Envy said. "I do not want to track any unnecessary attention with the 'commoners' if you know what I am saying."

Hazama waved his hand around, not caring any less.

"Fine," he said. "I'll keep your identity a secret. Just don't make it so that I can't protect it."

Envy bowed a little, then exited the room. Hazama was now all left alone, where his usually closed eyes opened up to reveal slit amber eyes.

"Now, time to figure out who this mystery freak is..." Hazama said in a more malevolent tone.

* * *

As Envy was walking down a hallway, he looked through the files that he have received from Relius.

"...if I could only remember this _crap_," Envy said. "Then I would've never had to come to _them_ for help. Ah, isn't amnesia a horrid thing. Both for me and for Kain. But then again..."

Envy stopped during his tracks and stared back at the hall that he walked down.

"...It's so nice to see them again for so many years," Envy commented. "Let's just hope they'll live long enough to witness the 'Paradigm Shift' in the end."

With that, Envy let out a light, yet sinister whistle as he looked through the files of the Murakumo Units as he walked down the hallways.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** And that ends Chapter 2. Kain and Iris are now fugitives and searching for Ragna the Bloodedge, and it looks like Envy's not who he says to be. Who will our fugitive duo meet next? Oh yeah it may seem that Tsubaki's now one hell of a bitch, but let's face it, she's been through alot of crap in CS. I would've expected much. Stay tuned, and don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter 3: Encounter

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 3: Encounter**

* * *

**AN: **Hello again! Here's Chapter 3 to the exploits of our protagonists, and we finally get to see some more familiar faces.

_TEXT=People's thoughts_

* * *

_One minute you're just minding your own business._

_The next minute, you're running from the law for something you didn't even do._

_That's just life for you, I guess._

_What the hell did I do to deserve this (besides beating the crap out of that NOL chick of course)..._

_Come to think of it, what was my life before all of this?_

_...Damn...I couldn't get any hints from that fight..._

_...If you don't count that rampage..._

* * *

Outside of Ibukido, the duo was heading out in search for The 'Grim Reaper', when a problem struck them. In unison, their stomachs growled louder than a foghorn.

"I'm hungry..." Iris said.

"Damn right we are..." Kain said.

"We probably should have gotten at least some food back at Ibukido." Iris commented.

"Well we can't go back now," Kain said. "Your Zero Squad or whatever should have noticed that their commander turned into a blood rag and that it's my fault."

"Right," Iris said. "So now what?"

The two thought hard on what they should do for food before they starve.

"We could always hunt something," Kain said.

"Let's do that then," Iris said.

So they decided to try to hunt something, but there was one problem.

"Do you know how to hunt something?" Iris asked.

"Don't you just kill something and eat it?" Kain asked.

"No, you have to trap it first or it'll get away!" Iris argued.

"That's too much of a hassle," Kain said. "Look I'll just catch it myself."

"How can you catch a running animal?"

"I was able to take on that Major of yours wasn't I?" Kain asked. "Pretty sure I can catch a pig at least."

And as if it was right on cue, a monkey showed itself in front of Kain and Iris.

"...Or a monkey," Kain said. "A monkey could work."

Iris freaked out as Kain was about to catch the monkey, then stopped him by grabbing his torso while shrieking a "NO!"

"What the hell!?" Kain yelled. "Hey, let go of me! The food will get away!"

"We can't kill an innocent monkey!" Iris yelled.

"What!? But you're the one who just said 'Let's do that then' on my idea to eat something," Kain argued. "And here's a perfectly good meal just waiting to be served on a stick over a fire!"

"But it's so cute!" Iris complained. "We can't kill something that cute! Plus it's wrong to eat a monkey!"

"Are you being serious now!?" Kain yelled. "We need to eat something! Doesn't matter if it's a monkey or a dog or whatever! In order to survive, you need to take drastic measures And I don't care how cute the monkey is!"

"Can't we just eat something else?" Iris asked, defending not to kill the monkey.

"Like what!?" Kain yelled. "What other golden opportunity is there!?"

As the two were arguing, the monkey made its way out of the scene, thus losing their chance for a meal.

"Hey where's the monkey?" Iris asked, finally realizing that it wasn't there anymore.

"...Son of a bitch..." Kain muttered.

* * *

Nightfall.

The two made a bonfire in the middle of some woods, where the two sat around the fire hungry and defeated.

"I knew we should have killed the monkey..." Kain muttered while glaring at Iris, who only managed to laugh weakly before slouching once more.

"Not even one day has passed," Kain said. "And we're starving out here in who knows where."

"So much for a new start..." Iris said defeated.

As the two stared into the fire with defeated stares, Kain got back up and headed out into the forest.

"Where are you going?" Iris asked.

"To see if I can't find anything to eat," Kain said as he headed out.

Iris was left alone, in the middle of nowhere. With the bonfire as her only source of light.

Iris sighed as she looked up in the night sky. There were no stars in the black of it all.

'_Why am I in this mess...?_' she thought. '_I was only protecting the innocent like the Major told us to...Come to think of it...the major has changed ever since she returned from Kagutsuchi...she was never like this...'_

Iris looked back in the bonfire.

'_Maybe if we find Ragna the Bloodedge,' _Iris thought. '_I can figure out what happened to Major...'_

She kept staring at the fire with a blank expression until all of a sudden, a gunshot echoed through the forest. Picking up on that, Iris jumped.

"What was that!?" Iris yelled.

She turned to where the gunshot was heard, and then heard more gunshots along with a red flash of light with each sound.

"That light..." she said. "It's gotta be Kain's rifle!"

She jolted from the bonfire and followed the light. She reached the source to see Kain with a bunch of murdered vigilantes. As she looked mortified, she noticed that Kain's eyes were blood-red again, and the splattered blood that seemed to be everywhere seemed to gather into Kain's sword.

"Kain...?" Iris asked scared.

Kain heard her voice and looked at her surprised.

"Iris..." Kain said. "...oh crap, did I do it again?"

Iris nodded in fear.

"Shit..." Kain said. "Look...ah forget it...let's just go..."

Kain's red eyes returned to their green color. As he sighed, he returned to the camp, with Iris following him timidly.

* * *

Meanwhile at that same place where the murdered people were, there was another group who were investigating the corpses. To be exact, there were three of them. One of them was a large, bulky man who had that appearance of a devil; Iron Tager, another was a girl with a large tail of a squirrel; Makoto Nanaya, and the third one had long blonde hair and emerald like green eye; Noel Vermillion.

"Who could have done such a thing...?" Noel asked. "I was wondering what that light was, but..."

"Man, you came upon one hell of a situation, Noel..." Makoto said. "I don't even know where to begin...you got anything, Tager?"

Tager checked the corpses for any irregularities carefully, and found one.

"What in the...?" he said.

"What's wrong Tager?" Noel asked.

"Spill the beans," Makoto said.

"These readings," Tager said. "They match the readings to the Azure Grimoire."

The two girls were shocked at that fact. The Azure Grimoire was one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful grimoire to ever exist. Its presence alone is only in legend, as its powers make it something that anyone would crave for. Its vast power marks it incomparable to any other grimoire in existence.

"But there are only like two people-three if you count Noel, sort of," Makoto said. "that even have the Azure!"

"The readings don't lie, Makoto," Tager said. "And this Azure is unlike any other we've ever encountered."

'_The Azure...' _Noel thought. _'Could it be Ragna's...? No...he's not near Ibukido yet...and this feeling isn't the one like Captain Ha – Terumi has... so who could it belong to?'_

"Hey look!" Makoto suddenly whispered.

They all looked and saw a light that appeared from a fire suddenly light out.

"There could be people over there..." Noel said. "Maybe they saw who did this."

"Or," Makoto said. "_They_ could be the ones responsible."

As such, Makoto suddenly sprung into the darkness, following where that light was, leaving Noel and Tager in the dust.

"Makoto!" Noel exclaimed. "Don't leave us here!"

"She should know that we can't see in the dark as well as she can..." Tager said. "Oh for the love of God..."

* * *

Back in Ibukido, the Zero Squadron that Iris abandoned after Kain's battle against Tsubaki were searching the entire town for the two.

"Find them!" Tsubaki growled into the speakers that communicated with the other members. "Bring them back to me alive, so that I bring them to justice!"

As the search team continued their efforts nonstop, Tsubaki scowled as she sliced the steel barrel that Kain smashed her into.

"I can't believe I let those sinners get the best of me and escape!" Tsubaki muttered to herself. "They will be punished for acts against The Imperator!"

"Excuse me, there," a distorted voice interrupted.

She turned to see the masked man, Envy, greeting her.

"Are you Major Tsubaki Yayoi?" Envy asked.

"Yes," Tsubaki answered. "Who are you?"

"Ah, what a splendid woman you are!" Envy exclaimed, basking in her beauty and ignoring her question. "I have heard rumors from Captain Hazama about you, but words do not compare to your raw beauty!"

"!? You know Captain Hazama...?" Tsubaki asked suspiciously.

"Oh, pardon me," Envy said. "I have recently joined the Novus Orbis Librarium Intelligence Department."

"The Intelligence Department?" Tsubaki asked.

With a little grace, Envy bowed to Tsubaki.

"NOL Intelligence Department Captain Envy," Envy greeted himself. "At your service, Major Yayoi..."

"What does someone from the Intelligence Department want with me?" Tsubaki asked.

"Nothing really," Envy said. "I just figured that I would go around and greet myself to my fellow coworkers."

"Is that all?" Tsubaki asked flatly.

"Well yes... I cannot be wasting time with all the greetings," Envy said in a rather taunting and sarcastic tone. "But if there is anything you need, feel free to ask myself for assistance, _Major_."

How he was addressing Tsubaki made her feel rather annoyed.

"If that is the case," Tsubaki replied. "Then I request some information on a vigilante called "Kain"."

"Ah, him," Envy said. "We do not have much information on him at all."

Tsubaki looked surprised that Envy even knew about Kain, who just appeared in one day.

"How do you know Kain?" Tsubaki asked.

"Captain Hazama and I were monitoring your battle with Kain at around the afternoon," Envy said. "To think that you were defeated by an unknown vigilante! Such unexpected turn of events!"

In Envy's speech lied a hint of mockery as he was exaggerating the whole thing.

"We had to figure out just who this mystery person is," Envy said. "But alas, surprisingly, we do not have any information regarding the man! Not even a profile!"

"No information at all?" Tsubaki asked surprised. This was a start. The Intelligence Department had intel on practically anything in the world. Yet Envy is saying that the data base of the entire globe does not have even a single measly article or profile on the man.

"Which is why I have been assigned to gather information on this 'Kain' character," Envy explained. "As thus, I have come here to not only greet myself to you, but to ask you some questions about the vigilante that beat you."

The mere fact that she must recall what it was like to lose in combat against the vigilante, and to answer questions about the same man she lost to made Tsubaki seethed with inner rage and spite. But she managed to keep a calm mind.

"Very well then," she answered.

"Excellent!" Envy rejoiced. "Now, this won't take long at all! Only a few questions are in order. First off, can you explain how this vigilante fought? Any particular style?"

"...the sinner fought at first with a rather formal and elegant way at first," Tsubaki explained. "Switching from sword to gun at a precise timing."

Envy took out a notepad and started scribbling the information all down.

"But after a while," Tsubaki continued. "The sinner started to fight violently and viciously; lacking any form or proper style compared to how he fought normally."

"I see," Envy said as he continued to write the information. "Now about this 'sword and gun' switch, what kind of weapon did Kain own?"

"It had similar features to that of the sword that Ragna the Bloodedge possessed," Tsubaki said. "But the sword that Kain possessed is far more superior to the sword of Ragna the Bloodedge."

"Interesting," Envy said. "We do not know much about Ragna's sword, and here comes another sword like his, but only more advanced."

Envy hummed a tune amusingly as he wrote down what Tsubaki said word for word, further annoying Tsubaki.

"Now, did you sense any irregularities while fighting Kain?" Envy asked. "Any sudden surges of seithr or any usages of any Armagus?"

"...Now that you mention it..." Tsubaki answered. "I sensed a strong presence of seithr when Kain went berserk..."

Envy wrote down that statement and closed his notepad.

"Very well," Envy said. "That will conclude with the questioning."

"Will that be enough?" Tsubaki asked.

"Yes," Envy said. "But to think that anyone could beat Major Yayoi...this Kain must have very exceptional fighting skills...enough to par with Ragna the Bloodedge, or maybe...with Major Jin Kisaragi..."

At the mere mention of the name 'Jin Kisaragi' managed to gain Tsubaki's attention, as she nearly sprung at the mentioning of his name, something that envy picked up.

"Ji-!? What about Jin Kisaragi...?" Tsubaki asked.

"Ah yes, Major Jin Kisaragi..." Envy said. "From what I have learned from Captain Hazama, Jin Kisaragi is a prodigy.

Tsubaki seemed to become tense at the mere mention of Jin, amusing Envy.

"Bearing the title "Hero of Ikaruga", Envy went on. "He is the leader of the fourth division of the NOL and a Praetorian Guard. Very impressive since he is very revered among the NOL. Well... _was_..."

Tsubaki glared at Envy murderously.

"Yes..." Envy said rather playfully. "Jin Kisaragi has recently defected from the NOL after defying orders from the Imperator and going after Ragna the Bloodedge. I swear, is everyone after Ragna the Bloodedge?"

"Are you done here?" Tsubaki asked angrily, having heard enough of Envy's loose sarcasm.

"Oh yes," Envy said. "I also heard that one Lieutenant Noel Vermillion also defected from the NOL along with Major Jin Kisaragi and Lieutenant Makoto Nanaya."

Again, Envy managed to gain Tsubaki's attention, this time using the names Noel and Makoto.

"...how much do you know?" Tsubaki asked.

"I know that you, along with Noel Vermillion and Makoto Nanaya attended the NOL Military Academy, and were apparently good friends," Envy said. "And you admired Jin Kisaragi, who was the student council president in your second year."

"...stop..." Tsubaki said.

"I have heard from Captain Hazama that Noel Vermillion was assigned to be Jin Kisaragi's secretary after graduation," Envy went on. "Even though besides Armagus synchronization rate, you have much higher overall potential than her, Noel ended up next to _your_ Jin Kisaragi."

Envy purposely said it in emphasis after realizing Tsubaki's apparent affection towards Jin.

"...please stop..." Tsubaki said.

"And Captain Hazama even assigned you the mission to assassinate both Noel Vermillion and Jin Kisaragi," Envy said. "Which you seemed to have failed in. Because you couldn't bear to kill you best friend. Very honorable of you, even if she stole the man you love from you."

Out of pure rage, Tsubaki pulled out her blade and faced it directly in front of Envy's neck.

"I thought I told you to stop," Tsubaki said coldly.

"...so you ended up resenting her and siding against Jin in spite of your so-called 'friend'," Envy said.

Tsubaki tried to deny that, but she couldn't, as it was the fact.

"I – I..." Tsubaki stammered.

"Tsubaki Yayoi...do you know what 'envy' means?" Envy asked, getting real close to her face. "...it represents jealousy, spite, resentment, prejudice." Each word was used in more emphasis than the last.

After giving Tsubaki some fruits for thought, Envy looked at a clock tower nearby.

"Oh, would you look at the time," Envy said. "I must take my leave. Oh and please be on the lookout for Kain. He is now officially as an S Rank fugitive. Well then, I bid you adieu."

With that, he took a little bow and left Tsubaki to think about her 'envy' against Noel Vermillion. When he was far away from Tsubaki, Envy tore up the notepad that he used.

"...well, I already knew all that crap," Envy said. "But at least I was able to provoke Tsubaki. Now let's see how this plays out."

* * *

Meanwhile in the woods, the two managed to follow Makoto's trail, where they found her pinning down a blonde swordsman to the ground. That swordsman was Kain, where Iris was apparently pushed into a tree, unconscious.

"Who're they?" Noel asked.

"That's what I was gonna figure out..." Makoto said as she pinned Kain down to the ground even harder. "Who are you two!? What're you doing in the woods late this night!?"

"What!? Nothing! We were just about to leave!" Kain yelled. "Who the hell are you any way!?"

"That's my line!" Makoto yelled. As she took a look at Iris against the tree, she suddenly had a surprised look on her face, which followed by a rather lewd grin. "Oh I see how it is..."

"See what!?" Kain yelled.

Makoto pointed at Iris.

"Oh come on...it couldn't be any more obvious!" she boomed. "You were obviously poundin' the chick over there until you noticed our presence and tried to run out of haste!"

Both Kain's and Noel's faces turned a bright red, while Tager sighed in disappointment.

"P-PPPP-PP–**POUNDIN**_'_!?" Kain yelled. "I would never do something like that to her! Are you frickin' insane!?"

"Oh don't hide the truth," Makoto shot back disbelieved. "Look over there! She's obviously unconscious because of all of the dirty sex you had with her!"

Iris was knocked out indeed, but apparently not due to the perverse reasons that Makoto was spewing.

"She's unconscious because you slammed her into the tree when apprehending me!" Kain shot back.

"Knock it off Makoto!" Noel exclaimed, embarrassed from all the 'details'. "You're getting off topic here, anyway!"

"What did I do to deserve this!?" Kain yelled. "First some Tsubaki lady tried to kill me all because I mentioned some guy named 'Ragna the Bloodedge', and now this!?"

Noel and Makoto picked up on the mentioning of Tsubaki in his rant, then Makoto let go of him.

"You know Tsubaki!?" Noel and Makoto asked in unison.

"You two know that red-haired emo lady!?" Kain yelled.

"Emo lady...?" Noel asked, baffled.

"I-I guess you can call her that..." Makoto said. "But still, how do you know Tsubaki!?"

"She suddenly interrogated and attacked me when I mentioned 'Ragna the Bloodedge'," Kain explained. "I managed to beat her somehow, and I ran from that city with Iris."

The two looked skeptical. 'How did some random guy beat Tsubaki?' they were thinking. But from what Tager deduced with the readings from the Azure, there could be a possibility. They checked Iris and saw that she was wearing an NOL Zero Squadron uniform.

"Why would Tsubaki turn against her own subordinate?" Makoto asked. "She's not like that!"

"Look, I don't know who this Tsubaki chick is to you," Kain said. "But once I mentioned 'Ragna the Bloodedge', she tried to kill me, and then tried to kill her for interrupting her attempt to kill me."

The three eyed Kain suspiciously, while Kain was checking to see if Iris was okay.

"Well for now," Tager suggested. "We should take these two with us back to Sector Seven."

"Sector what?" Kain asked.

"You don't know about Sector Seven?" Tager asked surprised, where Kain nodded his head innocently.

"Well, it's faster to just take them there and show them than explaining it," Makoto said.

Tager nodded in agreement as Makoto brought his arms and twisted them from behind.

"We'll also need to take her along as well," Tager said as he reached for Iris.

Kain saw Tager trying to grab Iris and panicked.

"Hey! What're you doing!?" Kain yelled.

"I'm just merely bringing her along with you back to Sector Seven," Tager explained calmly.

"Why the hell do we have to go with you guys!?" Kain argued. "What the hell is Sector Seven!?"

Iris managed to wake up, only to get surprised that a giant demonic like man was trying to grab her.

"KYAAA!?" Iris cried. "KAIN!"

"Wait, I was just-!" Tager tried to explain.

Kain suddenly panicked at Iris' helplessness as he entered his violent 'red eyes' mode.

"Get your meaty hands off of her!" Kain yelled.

Kain head-butted Makoto, making her let go then made a mad rush towards Tager and kicked him in the torso. Then he grabbed him, lifted him up into the air, and then flung him from the behind.

"Guooagh!" Tager muttered.

As Tager landed into a tree, Noel and Makoto got ready to fight as Kain got in front of Iris to protect her.

"He flung Tager!?" Makoto exclaimed. "But the dude weighs more than a building!"

"I guess we shouldn't judge a book by its cover..." Noel said as she took out two rifles and aimed them at Kain.

"Wh-wh-what's going on!?" Iris stammered, obviously panicking from the sudden events.

She looked up and saw that Kain was in his berserk mode and saw Noel, Makoto ready to fight, and Tager got back up from being hurled into a tree.

"That outfit..." Makoto said after taking a closer look at Iris. "That's a Zero Squadron uniform!"

"What's someone from Tsubaki's squadron doing here?" Noel asked.

"What's going on, first of all!?" Iris asked. "Why did you attack us!?"

"Hey we didn't do anything!" Makoto yelled back. "Our friend was just helping you up, when you freaked out, and your friend over there suddenly went psycho!"

Worried, Iris grabbed Kain's torso and shook him with all of her strength that she could muster up.

"Kain! Get a hold of yourself!" Iris begged. "It's okay! Just calm down!"

Kain glared at Iris, then took a deep sigh and cooled down. His eyes reverted back to their green luster.

"What the hell?" Kain asked. "Ah, did I go crazy again?"

"Yes," Iris said as she glared at the threesome.

"Now let's try this again..." Iris said. "Who are you people? What do you want with us?"

The three, seeing that Kain was calm, put their weapons down and sighed in relief as they all introduced themselves to each other.

"Look," Noel explained while keeping her distance from Kain. "We just saw a weird light coming from the woods. When we got there, there were NOL officers murdered. We picked up the trail to find you. Did you kill them?"

There was a hint of fear in that question, as the peaceful girl did not want to see people die.

"I guess so..." Kain said. "Look, Noel, was it? ...all I can remember is my name. Then I met Iris here, and that's where things started to spiral down."

"Must have been rough..." Makoto said. "You suddenly wake up one day and then all this crap happens out of nowhere...You sure you didn't do anything to deserve it?"

"If it can help regain my memories," Kain joked. "Then I hope so."

As the group were conversing, a voice interrupted the conversation.

"Hey...Hey! Tager!" the rather annoyed and cranky voice yelled. "Where the hell are you!?"

"Kokonoe!" Tager exclaimed a little relieved.

"Koko-who?" Kain asked. "Who's that?"

"Tager's and my boss," Makoto said.

"How long does it take you to make a measly trip back!?" Kokonoe yelled.

"Well, we stumbled upon some _circumstances_," Tager explained. "You might be interested in this, Kokonoe."

"Yeah!" Makoto called out. "This newbie managed to beat the crap out of Tager!"

While Tager looked embarrassed and shot Makoto a glare, Kokonoe didn't seem to be phased at all.

"Yeah, yeah," Kokonoe said flatly. "I saw the whole thing."

"So you did see it..." Tager muttered, embarrassed to learn that someone saw him having been bested by a random vigilante.

"You!" Kokonoe called out. "The blonde guy with the crazy temper."

"Yeah?" Kain answered.

"Get your ass over here to Sector Seven with these idiots," Kokonoe ordered.

"Hey!" Makoto yelled.

"What!?" Kain demanded. "Why should I go with-!?"

"– Ragna the Bloodedge..." Kokonoe stated.

That got Kain's attention, no matter what he was doing.

"I heard the conversation...and I know you're looking for Ragna," Kokonoe said "Come with us, and you'll have a hell of an easier time searching for him with our resources than by youselves."

Kain was skeptical. Indeed if what Kokonoe was saying is true, then there would be no other golden opportunity like this to find Ragna the Bloodedge. But, this could all be a trap. Kain was something special all right; being able to effortlessly fling someone as massive as Tager, along with a super-powered mode...Kain could be worth examining. In fact, if anything, Kain could end up being a dissected guinea pig.

"...Fine..." Kain said. "Take me to this 'Sector Seven'..."

Satisfied, Kokonoe also added one more remark.

"You can bring your girlfriend along with you too," Kokonoe added. "She could be of some use."

The moment Kokonoe mentioned 'girlfriend', Iris became redder than Tager, while Kain let out a confused and oblivious "Huh?"

"I-I-I-I-I-It's not l-l-l-l-l-like that!" Iris stammered, obviously embarrassed about the fact that Kokonoe thinks that she's Kain's girlfriend.

Kokonoe only snickered in amusement, gave Tager the order to bring them back to Sector Seven, and then cut off the transmission.

"Come on," Makoto exclaimed cheerfully and full of energy. "Let's go!"

As Iris and Kain exchanged glances, they only sighed, as their lives just became even more troublesome as they followed the threesome back to their ship.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the investigation sight at Ibukido, Tsubaki was searching the entire city for Kain.

"Tch! I should have known that Kain had already left a long time ago..." Tsubaki said. "With Lieutenant Esperanto with him, he is free to travel wherever he pleases..."

With anger, Tsubaki pounded a wall with her fist.

"Tsubaki, please calm down," a voice rose up.

Tsubaki turned to see a beautiful woman with long black hair and glasses, with a rather large bosom and wearing a China outfit. This woman was Litchi Faye-Ling, Tsubaki's ally who has recently joined the NOL. Tsubaki managed to keep a calmer mind instead of her wrathful previous persona and spoke to Litchi calmly.

"I'm fine, Miss Litchi," Tsubaki said. "Really."

"I see," Litchi answered, but her concern for Tsubaki's welfare was clear in that response. "Just don't push yourself."

Litchi's words of concern managed to soothe Tsubaki's hostile mind.

"Thank you for your concerns..." Tsubaki said. "I'll search a little longer, though."

Tsubaki seemed calmer and more benevolent towards Litchi than how she reacted towards Kain and Iris.

As the two continued their search, they caught their sights on a collapsed person.

"What the?" Tsubaki asked. "Miss Litchi, look!"

The two hurried to tender to the girl. As they lifted her up, Tsubaki noticed that she bore a similar appearance to herself. The only noticable difference was that the girl had red hair with blonde highlights, and of course she had a long katana wrapped in paper seals and was wearing a different outfit compared to Tsubaki.

"Huh?" Tsubaki asked. "This girl, she looks like me? No, it's just a coincidence..."

"Never mind that!" Litchi exclaimed. "She needs medical attention!"

As they hurried to a medical tent, the girl in her unconscious pain, muttered something.

"K...Ka..." the girl muttered. "Fo...forgive...me..."

However, her voice was so small, that the two women did not even notice.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN: **And this concludes Day 1. Kain and Iris gain the interest of Kokonoe and Sector Seven, and Tsubaki is given some fruit for thought by Envy and a new character makes her appearance. Who is the new girl? Will Tsubaki be able to recover from her malice? And will Kain end up being a dissected guinea pig by Kokonoe? See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4: Affiliate

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 4: Affiliate**

* * *

**AN: **Here's Chapter 4 for Chrono Paradigm. We get to see some more familiar faces, along with a new one.

_TEXT= Thoughts of people_

_MONOLOGUE=Kain's thoughts/memories._

* * *

_Well, at least a day passed and what happened?_

_I have no memory of myself._

_Got myself branded as a fugitive._

_And pretty much starved myself in the wilderness._

_...Not the best way to start the day._

_And now some freaks are taking me and Iris to God knows where._

_Well, let's just hope that this 'Sector Seven' or whatever can help me find Ragna, and my memories._

* * *

After joining up with Noel, Makoto and Tager, Kain and Iris arrived at Sector Seven, where as they arrived, the two were being suspiciously eyed by the scientists there. They mostly glared at Iris, because of her NOL uniform.

"Kain..." Iris whispered. "Are you sure we should even be here?"

"Look, these guys are offering to help find Ragna," Kain whispered back. "Even if we were to look for him alone, it would be like a wild goose chase. We need as much help as we can."

As Iris felt uncomfortable with all the scientists glaring at her, Kain shot a menacing glare at them, forcing them to resume to their duties with fear.

"For now," Kain whispered to Iris. "Try changing your outfit. Maybe that'll help."

"I guess..." Iris whispered back.

They were eventually brought to a lab door.

"Kokonoe!" Tager called. "I've brought the boy!"

"So..." Kain asked Noel and Makoto. "What kind of person is this 'Kokonoe'?"

"Well..." Noel said nervously. "She can be...how should I put this..."

"She is a great scientist," Makoto explained. "But she can get pretty pissy."

"'Pissy?'" Kain asked confused.

"And she has a potty mouth," Makoto added

"I heard that, Makoto," a voice called from behind the door.

Makoto jumped in shock as the door opened to a large and messy lab. In the chair facing them was a young women possessing feature that of a cat, including the ears and two tails, had pink hair, wearing a white lab jacket and had a rather annoyed look on her face while she had a lollipop in her mouth.

"So you're Kokonoe," Kain said.

"And you're the vigilante who took managed to take out Tager with ease," Kokonoe shot back. There was an obvious annoyance in her tone.

"You said you can help me find Ragna the Bloodedge?"

"Of course," Kokonoe responded with a certain degree of arrogance in her voice. "But before that, tell me, uh..."

"Kain," he said.

"Whatever," she said. "Why do you need to find Ragna so badly?"

"It's not for the money or the glory if that's what you're thinking," Kain said. "He just sounds familiar. Look I have no memory of myself, and then this Ragna guy strikes something. So if I find him, maybe I can remember something."

Kokonoe seemed rather less-than-interested, while gaining the interest of Noel and Makoto.

"Even if you find him," Kokonoe asked. "What makes you think that you can even take him?"

"What?" Kain asked.

"There's gonna be a likely chance that you two will end up fighting each other if you two meet," Kokonoe explained. "So I'm asking how you intend on fighting him. Even if you're an amnesiac, you should have probably pieced it from that NOL chick next to you that he's strong as hell. Even if you managed to take out Tager, there will be plenty of others who'll be able to kick the shit out of you. And Ragna the Bloodedge stands on top of them all. So how do you plan to take on someone who's even called The 'Grim Reaper'?"

Kain was about to say something, but stopped. Indeed, he hadn't thought this through. Even if he were to meet Ragna, there was a possibility that he will have to go into combat waiting for him. He didn't think of how he would deal with an SS Criminal who ieveryone, including the NOL, fears, when he can't even fight properly.

"Why do you imply that it was easy for him to beat me?" Tager asked, interrupting Kain's train of thought.

"Please," Kokonoe shot back. "I saw him fling your ass to a tree, and let's get this clear. He moved way faster than you. Even faster than Makoto."

"Hey! That's not true!" Makoto objected. "I'm way faster than-!"

"Even though!" Kain exclaimed. "I need to find him. I don't care if I get my ass handed to me by him or if he's the grim reaper or Satan for that matter! If he has a key to my memories, then I'm going to find him, and you won't stop me, so bring out whatever you got to restrain me, I will find him! You got that!?"

The three girls seemed shocked in amazement at Kain's determination. While Tager kept his calm persona, Kokonoe started to chuckle.

"I wonder when the last time was when someone was able to stand up to me like that," Kokonoe said, rather impressed with Kain's resolve and courage to stand up to her. "And I didn't feel irritated about it at all."

Kain looked confused, while Kokonoe stood up from her chair.

"I'll help you in your memory search," Kokonoe offered.

"Seriously!?" Kain exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah," she answered. "But, there's a catch."

Kain's sudden expression of relief reverted back to his old expression of suspicion.

"What?" he asked cautiously.

"You and your girlfriend over there are gonna work for me as field operatives," Kokonoe proposed. "By doing so, you two are gonna have to follow my orders, and carry out whatever missions I give you two, but you two will be free to search for Ragna, have at least a roof over your head and you will have the support of Sector Seven, along with these idiots."

"Hey!" Noel and Makoto yelled in unison, while Iris started to become red from the word 'girlfriend'.

"Well?" Kokonoe asked, ignoring the two. "Sounds like a good bargain to me, if I do say so myself."

Kain was a little hesitant, but he held his hand out.

"All right," Kain said. "You got yourself a deal."

Satisfied, Kokonoe shook on it, making the deal official.

"As of now, you two are official Sector Seven operatives," Kokonoe announced. "Don't screw up."

* * *

Back at Ibukido, Tsubaki and Litchi were tending to the wounds of the girl that they found unconscious.

"Miss Litchi," Tsubaki asked. "How is she?"

Litchi was checking the wounds and finished bandaging her.

"There weren't any serious wounds," Litchi said. "So she will be fine."

Tsubaki sighed in relief.

"But still..." Litchi said. "Who could have done such a thing to her?"

"Indeed..." Tsubaki said, looking worried at the girl. "Even if there were no severe wounds, she was severely beaten up here. Who did this to her?"

As they checked up on her, the girl suddenly moaned. She struggled to get up, but surely, she woke up.

"Oh! You're awake!" Tsubaki exclaimed.

The girl got up. She had red hair like Tsubaki's, only with blonde highlights, while wearing a beige sleeveless dress, black tights and red fingerless gloves. On her hilt was a long sheathed katana wrapped in paper seals. As she rubbed her eyes, she realized that she is surrounded and backed off. She didn't realize however that she was on a table, so when she backed off, she instead fell off the table and on her head.

"Ow..." the girl murmured as she got back up.

"Are you all right?" Litchi asked, lending a hand. The girl looked up and accepted it.

"Yes, thank you..." the girl said. "I suddenly woke up in an unknown place, so I panicked."

"I can understand."

As the girl dusted herself off, she looked around the tent to see where she was, but suddenly looked shocked when she saw Tsubaki.

"!? You're...!" the girl exclaimed.

"? What's the matter?" Tsubaki asked.

The girl looked surprised, but somehow calmed herself.

"N...No..." the girl said. "It's just you look like someone I knew, so..."

"Is that so?" Tsubaki asked. "Anyway, are you truly all right? There weren't any serious wounds, but you did suffer a lot of wounds..."

"I'm okay. I've been through worse."

"Now..." Litchi said. "Can you tell us who you are? How did you end up like this?"

"My name is Hikari," the girl said. "I was in the middle of searching for someone, but I ended up fighting someone during the process."

"Who?" Litchi asked.

"I couldn't tell who it was since the man was wearing a mask," Hikari explained.

"A mask?" Tsubaki asked. "Can you describe that person?"

"Well, the man had a mask," Hikari explained. "While he wore a black overcoat, a wizard hat, and had long silver hair."

That description matched one person that Tsubaki knew and despised.

"Did he call himself Envy!?" Tsubaki asked.

"Yes! That's what he called himself!" Hikari exclaimed.

Tsubaki had a scornful look on her face at the mere mention of Envy.

"Envy?" Litchi asked. "Do you mean that strange person who just joined the Intelligence Department?"

"I knew he couldn't be trusted!" Tsubaki exclaimed. "To hurt an innocent bystander...how despicable!"

"But still..." Litchi said. "To think that he could fight... I thought he was in the Intelligence Department."

"Miss Litchi," Tsubaki said. "You and I both know that is not true."

The two were referring to Hazama, someone in the Intelligence Department who was more than capable of fighting.

"Um..." Hikari tried to intervene in their conversation. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, do you need something?" Litchi asked

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me out back there," Hikari said.

"You're very welcome Hikari," Tsubaki said.

Hikari got back up and headed out.

"Oh, leaving so soon?" Litchi asked.

"Yes, I have to get going now," Hikari said. "I was in the middle of searching for someone."

"Who?" Tsubaki asked. "Maybe we can help. We are of the NOL, so we can send a search party."

"That would be helpful, yes!" Hikari exclaimed. "I will need as much help as I can! I have no idea where everyone else is, but I know they will be fine."

"You have more friends?" Litchi asked.

"Yes!" Hikari exclaimed. "We all came here to rescue him."

"And is this 'him' the person you are looking for?" Tsubaki asked. "What's his name?"

"Yes! His name is Kain!" Hikari exclaimed happily.

She would soon regret saying that name, though, as Tsubaki's benevolent expression suddenly dropped at the mere mention of 'Kain'.

"Did you say 'Kain'?" Tsubaki asked.

"Yes," Hikari said excitedly. "Kain. He has blonde hair with silver highlights, a ponytail, and green eyes, wears a red coat with a black gauntlet on his left arm, and is carrying a sword-like rifle with him."

Her description matched the Kain that Tsubaki had the displeasure of fighting perfectly.

"Pray tell," Tsubaki asked. "Does this Kain have any connection to Ragna the Bloodedge?"

"Well, in a sense, yes," Hikari said confused. "Why?"

She found herself suddenly being attacked by Tsubaki's blade. Hikari managed to block it with her katana, but backed off out of the tent.

"Tsubaki!?" Litchi exclaimed.

"So you're in league with that fugitive..." Tsubaki said. "And judging from your words, he is in league with Ragna the Bloodedge!"

Hikari looked horrified as Tsubaki started to walk towards her with intent to kill.

"All of you sinners must pay for defying the Imperator," Tsubaki said with increasing stress. "And I shall be the one who brings justice!"

As she charged towards Hikari, Hikari could only bite her lip as she dodged Tsubaki, bringing them at opposite sides.

"Tsubaki! Calm down!" Litchi exclaimed, trying to end the fight.

As Tsubaki went for another attack, Hikari grabbed the hilt of her katana. The paper seals started to disappear, freeing the katana.

"If I could," Hikari said sadly. "I never wanted to fight you."

As she revealed her blade, she vanished in midair, surprising the two women. A sudden gust of wind blew upon Tsubaki. Before she could realize it, Hikari was already behind her, putting away the katana.

"Light Speed Dance," Hikari only said as she put the katana away and the seals magically reappeared. "Luster Fang: Horizontal Flash."

Tsubaki suddenly started to bleed out from her waist intensely, making her fall to the ground.

"Tsubaki!" Litchi cried as she ran to her.

Hikari turned to the two of them with a sad and grim expression on her face.

"Do not worry," Hikari said. "I made it so she wouldn't die. But..."

Hikari faced away from them.

"I'm sorry," she said, as she started to run from them.

Litchi stared at Hikari for a minute, then remembered Tsubaki and rushed her into the medical tent.

Moments later, Hikari was already far away from the two.

'_How could I have done that!?' _she thought. '_I could have at least run using the Dance! I'm so ashamed of myself...and everyone else is probably across the globe by now...'_

Tears started to roll down her cheeks, but she wiped them away.

'_Do not worry, Kain,'_ Hikari thought. '_I will definitely find you! This I swear!'_

* * *

Meanwhile at Sector Seven.

"...wait, WHAT IN THE HELL!?" Kain shrieked.

He found himself strapped on to an examination table, where his hands and legs were found strapped down to the table so he can't move.

"Kokonoe, you bitch!" Kain yelled at the top of his lungs. "What the hell's going on!?"

From behind a one-way mirror, Kokonoe and the others were watching Kain's operation. Kokonoe only sighed as she spoke into a microphone.

"I already told you," Koknoe said with some annoyance. "I said that we would help you regain your memories."

"And that gives you a right to suddenly knock me out and turn me into a guinea pig!?" Kain objected.

"That was harsh of her, indeed," Iris said uneasily.

"Hey, if I said 'All right, first off, we're gonna dissect you to see what makes you tick'," Kokonoe said flatly. "Would you have just agreed?"

"Good point," Kain said. "But I never agreed to be a guinea pig to begin with!"

"Who ever said that I cared about your opinions?" Kokonoe asked playfully.

"Oh you bitch you better not cut me open!" Kain threatened. "Or I swear, when I get out of this, that I'm gonna shove onions up your–"

A laser from the ceiling shot down right next to Kain, barely missing his ear, making him shut up.

"You wanna finish that line?" Kokonoe asked, making it sound like a threat.

"N...No...I'm good..." Kain said sheepishly.

"Don't worry," Kokonoe assured him. "I'm not gonna open you up. I'm just gonna run a scan on you and see what you are on the inside. But..."

She proceeded to fire the laser once more, this time barely missing his 'private area'.

"If you want," Kokonoe said with a sinister tone. "We could turn this into an autopsy."

"...No..." Kain answered, his fear is evident. "Please, proceed with the scan..."

"That's a good boy."

With a push of a button, a laser sensor traveled from top to bottom and from bottom to top across Kain's body. After the scanning was done, Kain was released from his binds and got off the table. As he entered the room where everyone else was, Kokonoe was looking over the scans.

"Well?" Kain asked. "What do you got?"

Kokonoe finished looking over the scans, and turned to everyone with a rather surprised expression on her face.

"Damn," Kokonoe said flatly. "Just...damn..."

"What's wrong?" Kain asked.

"So was I right?" Tager asked.

"Yeah," Kokonoe answered. "I can't believe it, but, Kain. You have The Azure Grimoire on you. In fact it's stronger than anything I've ever seen."

As everyone else became shocked and yelled "EHHHHHH!?" Kain just stood there confused and said "Azure what now?"

"Oh come on!" Makoto yelled. "Even you should know what the Azure Grimoire is!"

Kain thought real hard on The Azure Grimoire.

"Now that you mention it..." he said. "The term does ring a – Guh!?"

He started to writhe in pain as he held his head with his hands.

"Kain!?" Iris cried.

"What's happening!?" Noel asked.

As Kain stumbled and limped around, he felt an excruciating pain, where sounds of static noise followed as he started to black out.

_Don't tell me...!? Is this...!?_

* * *

_A vision started to play in his mind. Everything was blank, but there were two figures. A man and a woman with him. He couldn't make out their faces._

_What...? Who's there...?_

_He tried to reach out to them, but he couldn't move. His body didn't listen to him, as it lifted its left arm on its own. It had the same black gauntlet that Kain had on now. No matter what Kain could do, he wasn't in control. It was as if he was watching this from the perspective of the body. Like a video._

"_Why do I have to wear this weird black glove?" a young voice of a boy asked._

"_Because," the voice of an older man answered to him. "That's so you can control the Azure."_

"_What's the Azure?" the boy asked_.

"_It's something very strong and powerful inside of you," the voice of a young woman answered him. "But it is also something evil."_

_These voices...they sound so...nostalgic..._

"_Does that mean I'm evil?" the boy asked scared._

"_Of course not!" the woman's voice scolded. "You are not evil! You're a good boy!"_

"_But, you said..." the boy said._

"_Look," the man said. "The Azure maybe evil. But how you decide to use it will decide whether you are evil or not."_

"_How?" the boy asked._

"_If you use The Azure for good things," the woman explained. "Then you aren't evil. You're good. But if you use it for bad things, then you're evil."_

"_I don't wanna be evil, Mom, Dad," the boy said, his fear rising._

"_Don't worry," the man said. "You aren't gonna become evil. As long as you use your powers for good things."_

"_...Okay!" the boy exclaimed. "I'll use The Azure for good things!"_

"_That's our son..." the woman said with pride._

"_Remember," the man said. "It's up to you to know how to use the Azure. This is your responsibility. Can you handle it?"_

"_Uh huh!" the boy exclaimed. "I can do it!"_

_The man rubbed the boy's head._

"_That's the spirit!" he said._

_As they were laughing, the vision started to fade._

_No! Damn it! Wait! Who are you two!? Do you know who I am!? WAIT!_

* * *

"...n...Ka...i...Kain!" Iris voice cried.

When he came through, he realized that he was in Sector Seven. He got back up, panting and sweating.

"Are you all right, Kain?" Iris asked.

"...yeah..." Kain said. "I'm fine..."

"Are you sure?" Noel asked. "You were in a lot of pain."

"…what happened?" Kain asked Kokonoe.

"You suddenly blacked out when you thought about The Azure Grimoire," Kokonoe explained.

"So I did..." Kain said.

"Kain..." Iris asked. "Did you remember something?"

Kain looked at Iris and laughed.

"You know what," Kain said enthusiastically. "I actually did!"

Iris rejoiced after hearing that Kain remembered something, while the others seemed to look happy for him.

"Figured there would be more factors that'll help," Kokonoe said. "It's illogical for his entire memory to be linked to one person."

"So what did you remember?" Makoto asked curiously.

"Not much," Kain said. "But I remember..."

He lifted his left arm.

"What this is truly meant for..." Kain said.

He walked back into the lab and took out his trusty sword. He started to focus, and black flames started to leak out of the sword.

"Whoa!" Makoto yelled.

"His sword!" Tager exclaimed.

"Now this is getting good!" Kokonoe said with excitement.

Kain looked at the flaming sword and swung it around, with each strike, it dented the steel walls surrounding him. The flames disappeared as he put the sword back.

"It's up to me on how to use The Azure," Kain said to himself. "It's my responsibility, huh? It's a good start."

But just as he was heading back, his stomach grumbled louder than any sound he had made before. The others started to laugh at him as Kain looked embarrassed.

"Hey! I didn't eat anything so far!" Kain yelled.

"Come on," Makoto said cheerfully. "I'll make you some grub!"

"Much obliged," Kain said as he headed back. "Yo, Iris! You want some grub too? You haven't eaten anything today have you?"

As if on cue, Iris' stomach started to grumble as well, only making a louder noise than Kain's did. Embarrassed, she nodded in agreement.

"All right then!" Makoto answered with energy. "The more the merrier, they say!"

"I'll help too, Makoto!" Noel said.

"...Uh...It's all right, Noel..." Makoto said, somehow losing all of her energy and becoming a little nervous. "You don't have to do anything..."

"Come on!" Noel argued. "I can help too!"

As the two talked, Kain and Iris exchanged confused glances.

"What's wrong with Noel's cooking?" Iris asked.

"Who knows," Kain said. "But we're getting some grub. Might as well be thankful."

The two followed Noel and Makoto to the mess hall to finally get some food. Tager and Kokonoe, however stayed behind.

"...Did you find anything else?" Tager asked.

"...Yeah..." Kokonoe said. She showed Tager Kain's body scan results.

"!? This is...!" Tager exclaimed.

Kokonoe nodded.

"...that brat..." Kokonoe said. "...I'm glad he's on our side..."

* * *

"...uh..." a voice groaned.

Tsubaki suddenly woke up to find herself in the medical tent.

"Oh, you're okay!" Litchi exclaimed with relief.

"Miss Litchi..." Tsubaki said. "What happened?"

"That Hikari girl sliced you real bad," Litchi explained. "It was a good thing that she didn't use much force, or else she could have sliced you in half."

Tsubaki tried to get up, but the pain from the wound was still great.

"You shouldn't push yourself," Litchi said. "At best you should stay rested for at least a few days."

Tsubaki looked ashamed of herself, along with being enraged that she lost again to a random vigilante.

"So Hikari was also in league with Ragna the Bloodedge..." Tsubaki groaned. "I can't believe such a sweet girl could work with such a savage!"

"Look," Litchi said. "I think you should calm down. You don't even know whether Hikari was really working for Ragna the Bloodedge."

"But she admitted that she knew Kain," Tsubaki argued. "And that Kain has a connection with Ragna the Bloodedge! Not only did Hikari mislead me, but Iris did lied that he wasn't in league with Ragna the Bloodedge! They're all in league with that villain!"

"So you would just judge them like that?" Litchi asked. "From what you told me, Kain had no memory, Iris was a very diligent and sweet girl, and Hikari didn't seem to be that bad when we talked to her. Do you honestly believe that they would truly be fugitives? Even when one of them can't even remember who they are?"

Tsubaki tried to retort to that, but Litchi's stern glare at her shut off any chances of that.

"But..." Tsubaki managed to say. "Kain willingly attacked me!"

"Wasn't because you attacked Iris first?" Litchi asked.

Tsubaki couldn't deny that.

"Iris and Kain apparently get along, according to what you told me," Litchi went on. "Since Kain has no memory, Iris was the only person that didn't attack him, so he would trust her. Do you honestly think that someone like Kain could just sit there and watch you attack the only person he trusts?"

Tsubaki couldn't deny that either. What she did was the truth. An undeniable truth. Litchi sighed as she comforted her.

"I understand why you would suspect them of being fugitives," Litchi said. "But you should trust people more. Didn't you used to be more trusting around your friends?"

"...I..." Tsubaki said shamefully.

"Tsubaki...you were a more trusting and nicer girl," Litchi said. "I guess this is what a corrupt government does to people. I don't blame you, Tsubaki, but you shouldn't be that prejudice."

After hearing 'prejudice', the words of Envy rang in her head.

'_Do you know what 'envy' means?' _Tsubaki remembered Envy telling her. _'...it represents jealousy, spite, resentment, prejudice.'_

She took those words real deep, as she recalled her actions she have done towards her friends, and to the people she had encountered in Ibukido.

"...I see..." Tsubaki said. "...I have to find them."

"Tsubaki?" Litchi asked worried. "Do you mean Kain and Iris?"

"Don't worry," Tsubaki said. "I'm not going to hunt them down for being fugitives. I just want to see who they truly are. I know Iris isn't someone who doesn't do bad thing, so if Kain is someone Iris can trust, then he must be a good person. I want to trust them."

Litchi smiled in approval.

"Then go," she said. "Find them. And see if you can trust them."

With a new resolve, Tsubaki ran off in search of Kain and Iris, with Litchi seeing her off.

"...You know," Litchi said to herself. "I don't think Ragna the Bloodedge is a bad person. He does have a bad mouth and gets angry a lot, but he seems to be real nice. But I guess she wouldn't listen to me even if I told her."

Litchi sighed to herself, then noticed that she got a new message on a laptop. As she checked the laptop, her expression suddenly became grim.

"Oh no..." she said. "He escaped...?"

* * *

Tsubaki headed for the gate leading out of Ibukido to start her search for Kain and Iris.

'_But still...'_ she thought. _'What are the odds that I will even find them? Surely they could have gotten pretty far, and there's also the fact that they could have joined Sector Seven. Oh, finding them will require a great deal of luck.'_

She looked back at Ibukido, then raced outside the gate.

'_Noel...Makoto...' _she thought. _'Jin...please lend me strength!'_

* * *

Meanwhile, out somewhere else, on a grassy road, a man was lying on the road sleeping. He had black hair, was wearing a green Eastern feudal vest with no sleeves, had baggy pants, and was wearing a red scarf. He was peacefully snoozing under the cool breeze, until someone stepped on his stomach.

"Guahagh!?" the man yelped as he got back up like a bullet to tend to his pain. "Gah! The hell was that for!?"

The man glared straightly at another man who was apparently the culprit. He had a blue uniform on him, and sported blonde hair and green eyes, along with a cold expression on him.

"Hm? What do you want?" the man in blue asked. "Make it quick. I'm in a hurry to regroup with my master."

"Oh I'll make it quick!" the man in green yelled. "You stepped on me, didn't you!?"

"So?" the man in blue asked coldly.

"'So'!?" the man in green exclaimed. "Apologize, damn it! I at least deserve that!"

"Why should I apologize to 'garbage' like you?" the man in blue scoffed. "It's your own fault for just lying there in the middle of nowhere."

"Well you could at least have the decency to walk around!"

The two glared at each other for a while; the man in green with an enraged glare, while the man in blue had a clod and arrogant glare. After closer examination, the green man realized something.

"Wait a minute..." he said. "Are you 'Jin Kisaragi'?"

"What of it?" the man called Jin asked coldly.

"Oh I see..." the green man said to himself. "Then that would explain a lot. No wonder you're a cold sociopath."

"What did you say?" Jin asked menacingly.

"Nothin' nothin'," the man said jovially. "Just some self-thoughts."

The man took out two long daggers and pointed one of them towards Jin.

"Come on," the man said. "Take out the 'Yukianesa' already."

Jin looked a little surprised that the mysterious man knew about his Nox Nyctores, Mucro Algesco: Yukianesa. But he then smirked and summoned a blue katana to his side.

"Interesting," Jin said. "Are you an Ikarugan?"

"You can say that," the man replied.

"So have you come here seeking vengeance against me for killing your 'lord' as well?" Jin asked.

"No, not at all," the man said. "That's old news."

"Oh?" Jin continued to asked, rather intrigued by the man. "Then if it's not for a foolish vendetta, then why do you challenge me knowing what you're facing?"

"I'm only interested in having battles that will get my blood racing," the man said jovially. "Just for sport of course. And you're the 'Hero of Ikaruga', so you can able to piece it all together."

"So you wish to challenge me," Jin said. "Just for sportsmanship?"

"Pretty much," the man said. "I know that fighting you will be intense! And that's just how I like my fights!"

"...what is your name?" Jin asked. "Since you know mine, then the least you can do is say your name."

The man put on a big grin as he prepared himself for battle.

"The name's Burai!" the man boomed. "Better watch out, 'Hero', 'cause I'm comin' for ya'!"

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN: **Kain and Iris end up becoming Sector Seven agents and Kain manages to regain one of his memories and regains his Drive! Yay for him! But what awaits him in the mess hall isn't gonna be all that pretty... Meanwhile, Tsubaki instantly gets pwned by Hikari, while Hikari is apparently searching for Kain. What is their relationship? It isn't all bad for Tsubaki, as now she finally starts her road to recovery. From Litchi's message, apparently someone escaped. Can you guess who? And finally, our favorite cold, brother-lusting sociopath Jin starts a deathmatch with a new face, calling himself Burai. Will we start seeing more new faces? And just how strong are they? You're gonna have to read the next chapter and find out.

See ya next time and please review!


	5. Chapter 5: Adjustment

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 5: Adjustment**

* * *

**AN: **I'm back, with Chapter 5 to the Paradigm! Get ready for an intense battle with Burai and Jin, Iris dancing with death and going crazy, and some fluffiness.

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

_MONOLOGUE=Kain's thoughts_

* * *

_All right, things are starting to get good for me._

_I finally remember something, although it was pretty vague._

_I can finally use this slab of metal properly; or at least can use my Drive again._

_And I'm finally getting some food._

_Yep, things are starting to get better._

_Let's just hope things stay that way..._

* * *

In the mess hall, Kain and Iris were chowing down on a well-deserved feast of meats, vegetables, and all sorts of food made by Makoto.

"Oh God! This hits the spot!" Kain exclaimed with bliss and joy.

"Yes, it is really good!" Iris agreed. "Makoto, you're a really good cook!"

"No, it's nothing really!" Makoto answered with her usual cheerful energy.

"But still," Kain commented. "We are grateful for the meal, Makoto. Thank you."

Kain's unusual formal gratitude made Makoto blush a little.

"I-It's nothing, really!" Makoto exclaimed. "But still, I'm so glad for you Kain!"

"What for?" Kain asked.

"You managed to remember something!" Makoto said. "Now you're one step closer to figuring out who you are!"

"I guess," Kain said. "Let's just hope getting the rest of my memories will be easier than this."

"So," Iris asked. "What was that flaming sword thing?"

"? You mean this?" Kain asked as he took out his sword and it started to overflow with black flames, surprising the two.

"Yes," Iris said. "You never used that ability before. All you ever used was that berserk mode."

"I guess," Kain said. "...then this must be my Drive then."

"Drive?" Iris asked. "You mean your ability?"

Kain nodded as the flames disappeared and put away his sword.

"Damn, I can't remember what this thing is called, or what it does," Kain said. "...Screw it. Might as well just name it now."

"Ooh! Ooh!" Makoto exclaimed. "How about calling it...uh...'Dark Flame Master Excalibur'!"

Both Kain and Iris looked a little uneasy by Makoto's rather outrageous naming sense.

"L...let's try something simpler..." Kain said a bit uneasily. "Iris, you got any ideas?"

"Um...let's see..." Iris mumbled, deep in thought. "...How about **Laevateinn**?"

"**Leavateinn**?" Kain asked.

"It's a mythological flaming sword that appears in Norse mythology," Iris explained. "It was used by Surtr in Ragnarok, a series of events that led to the last fates of all the Gods of Norse Mythology."

"Is that so..." Kain said. "...then I'll go with it. Laevateinn. Nice name."

"I still say that my idea was cooler," Makoto said. "But it's your sword. You should name it however you want it."

"Sure," Kain said. "? By the way, where's Noel?"

They looked around and saw that Noel wasn't there.

"I'm over here!" Noel exclaimed.

They looked to see Noel in the kitchen.

"What're you making?" Kain asked.

"I'm making some stew," Noel answered.

"Stew, huh," Kain said. "Sounds delicious. I'll take a taste."

"Me too!" Iris exclaimed.

As the two went to the kitchen to try Noel's dish, where Makoto suddenly dropped from a cheery expression to a scared expression filled with dread and fear.

"W-W-W-Wait a minute!" Makoto stammered. "Let's save that for another day!"

"? Why?" Kain asked. "It's just stew."

"No-wa-wait!" Makoto cried as the two entered the kitchen.

* * *

Meanwhile back on the grassy road, Burai and Jin were having their death match. While Jin's sword made the landscape freeze with each slice, Burai's swift movements and dagger techniques were a match for him.

"Well, well," Jin said. "I guess I underestimated you. Congratulations, you're promoted from 'garbage' to 'obstacle'."

"I'll take that as a compliment then," Burai said back as he swiftly struck at Jin with his daggers.

"You aren't as annoying as that other ninja that I keep running into," Jin replied. "I'll give you that. No, you're more of an assassin than that loudmouth is!"

Burai sort of twitched at that remark, but shifted his focus back to the battle.

"Are we gonna just keep talking?" Burai asked. "Or are we gonna settle this!?"

Without hesitation, Jin got close up to Burai without him expecting it.

"Halt!" Jin yelled as he flung his ice sword in an upper circular motion, freezing Burai.

"What the-!?" Burai yelled.

"You're mine!" Jin yelled as he swiped the Yukianesa against Burai, sending him flying. As Burai managed to recover, Jin was already preparing for his next attack.

"Arctic Dagger!" he yelled as he slashed out a giant ice wave a high-speed towards Burai.

"Shit!" he yelped as the attack wiped him out.

Jin scoffed as the cold air cleared to reveal that Burai wasn't hit, but a dummy in his likeness took the hit.

"What!?" Jin exclaimed. "A substitution!?"

Burai suddenly appeared from behind Jin and slashed at him.

"Gotcha!" he yelled as he succeeded in his sneak attack. Jin rolled back from the slash, but managed to recover.

"Impressive," Jin commented as he got back up. "So you utilize substitutions in a frame of attack."

"What d'ya think?" Burai asked. "Awesome, right?"

"Hmph, don't get cocky!" Jin retorted as he rode on a large icicle that he made as it charged towards Burai.

"Phantom Arts," Burai said as he motioned himself. Once the icicle hit Burai, he vanished and kicked Jin from behind, then went for a series of barrages until he heel drop kicked Jin to the ground, then reappeared to punch Jin into the ground. "Mirage Carnival!"

"You done yet?" Burai asked confidently as Jin got back up.

"You scum..." Jin muttered. "But I do admit, you have skill...as an assassin at best."

"Well, doesn't that hurt my feelings," Burai joked. "But if you want somethin' else, then HERE!"

Burai holds his daggers in a circular motion, then starts to spin around rapidly, ending up into a large tornado.

"Furious Sky," Burai boomed. "Wintry Wind Blade!"

The tornado was so great, that it started to suck Jin into it.

"Sloppy," Jin only replied as he created a barrier. "Without a trace."

Once the barrier made contact, like the wind, Jin slashed through the tornado and Burai along with it.

"Empty Sky Form: Winter's Reposte!"

Burai fell to the ground as Jin walked towards him.

"Your only strengths is striking from the shadows," Jin said to him. "Other than that, you lack the proper strengths to attack head on. At least that other obstacle could attack head on better than you."

"Oh yeah?" Burai asked. He suddenly kicked Jin from his grounded state and got back up. Jin landed on his feet away from him.

"You obstacle..." Jin said. "How long do you plan to struggle?"

"Until there's a clear winner to this match!" Burai yelled.

As the two ran towards each other to deliver their final blows, something stopped them.

"What!?"

"The hell!?"

They looked to see that a small figure stopped Jin's blade with its own blade, and stopped Burai's punch with its own small paw. It appeared to be a bipedal cat with an eyepatch around its left eye, and wore a yellow jacket.

"Now there, let's all calm down here..." the cat said in a rapsy voice.

"Master Jubei!?" Jin exclaimed.

"Huh!?" Burai yelled. "You're _the_ Jubei!?"

"Yea that's right," the cat known as Jubei. "So who're you supposed to be?"

"Ah- my name's Burai!" he stammered. "I-It's an honor to meet you! Sir Jubei!"

"So ya know me, huh?" Jubei asked.

"...Why are you here?" Jin asked coldly.

"You were takin' so long," Jubei said. "That I reckoned that I go look for you. And then I found you two fightin' each other."

Jin sighed as Jubei shifted his attention to Burai.

"...what're ya doin' in a place like this?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh crap! I totally forgot!" Burai exclaimed. "I was so focused on my fight with Kisaragi here, that it completely slipped my mind!"

"So yer lookin' fer someone, eh?" Jubei asked. "Who?"

"Hmph, why should we waste our time with this garbage?" Jin asked Jubei, enraging Burai.

"Now, now there Jin," Jubei said. "We should at least here the man out."

The attention returned to Burai.

"Right!" Burai said. "I need to find this one person! It's important! We can't – no – we won't leave without him!"

"So he's pretty important to you, eh?" Jubei asked. "Who is the guy?"

"A blonde swordsman named Kain!" Burai answered.

* * *

In his laboratory, Relius Clover was re-watching the video of Kain and his battle against Tsubaki, while looking through a file on the Azure.

"Hmm...His seithr readings do match the aspects of the Azure..." Relius said to himself. "...But he still lacks the sheer power of it compared to the Grim Reaper and Terumi...Not to mention that it hinders in comparison to any of the Murakumo Units..."

Relius continued to skim through the file of the Azure, as he examined Kain's rampage.

"Oh? It looks like I spoke too soon," Relius went on. "In this state only, he exceeds the aspects of Ragna the Bloodedge and Terumi. Nay, he even comes to comparison to The Sword of the God Slayer, Kusanagi."

He seemed to chuckle a little as he paused the video.

"Indeed an interesting specimen, this Kain is," he said to himself. "His Azure is truly something to behold. If only he had all of his memories, then I could see his full potentials..."

"Then do I have good news for you, Colonel Relius," a distorted voice said from behind.

Relius didn't even have to turn to see that it was Envy who had barged into his private laboratory.

"Oh? Pray tell, how did you find this laboratory?" Relius asked. "I thought I had told all personnel to not enter this room."

"Oh, Captain Hazama guided me to your room," Envy explained. "Right before he had to leave."

Relius didn't seem to care about Hazama's actions, but was curious about one thing.

"Didn't you have good news?" Relius asked.

"Yes," Envy said. "It seems that our favorite test subject has regained one of his memories!"

"Oh," Relius said in curiosity. This is indeed good news for him.

"He managed to remember how to use his Azure to an extent," Envy reported. "And has regained his Drive."

"His Drive?" Relius asked.

"Well he seems to be calling it '**Laevateinn**'," Envy said. "So we'll leave it as that. Simply, he channels his Azure to his sword, and can pull off tremendous damage. Of course, not as comparable to his Overload State, but now he can at least put up a stable fight now."

"Intriguing," Relius said. "...anything else?"

"Oh, and there seems to be some more mystery vigilantes like Kain," Envy reported. "Popping out of nowhere around the area."

"More?" Relius asked.

Envy took out a data disk and played it on Relius' computer. It replaced the video of Kain's fight with Tsubaki, with the moment, when Hikari swiftly defeated Tsubaki.

"Well, it isn't a good day for Major Yayoi," Envy said while hiding a laugh. "But this must be good for you, Relius. You have more new specimens to work with."

"Relius examined Hikari's lightning fast attack against Tsubaki.

"I see..." Relius said. "A speed that is rivaled by none...Is the girl the only one?"

"Well she's the only one that we confirmed as of now," Envy explained. "But if my hypothesis is right, then there will be more to come."

Relius gave a light chuckle as he closed the file on the Azure.

"Things are starting to get interesting," Relius said. "Envy, continue on the search of any other anomalies"

Envy gave a bow.

"As you wish, Colonel," Envy said.

"...Do not forget that you are included with the anomalies, Envy," Relius said as he walked away. "No...That is not your true name, is it?"

As Envy was walking down a hall, Envy stopped.

"As expected of you, Relius..." Envy said. "...As expected, I need to keep a vigilant eye on you..."

* * *

At Sector Seven, Kain and Iris were to regret their decision to try Noel's stew. As they stared at what was supposed to be stew, all of their hopes dropped, and only fear and dread filled their expressions.

"Uh...Noel...?" Kain asked. "What is this?"

"Its potato stew," Noel said with a straight face.

_Like hell it is! There's no way potato stew can look this messed up! I mean look at it!_

Words couldn't even begin to describe the atrocity that Noel made. If there were images in this description, then they would be futile, as they would only be covered in mosaics.

"I warned you two..." Makoto said defeated from behind. "I pray that you two survive."

"K...Kain..."Iris whimpered as she started to tear up.

_Stay string Iris! Maybe it's not that bad...You heard the saying! Never judge a book by its cover. Yeah, that's right! Maybe this stew isn't as bad as it looks...!_

As if in cue, the stew started to release air bubbles of the most atrocious smell in civilization. To Kain's ears, he could have sworn that he head a faint cry of help.

_I take everything back! You should judge a book by its cover in this scenario! Whoever invented that idiom should eat this deathtrap instead of us! It's a load of bullcrap, and I would rather deal with real bull crap! Hell, even the potatoes are crying for help in there!_

"Um..." Noel asked. "Do you not like it...?"

Kain looked up to see Noel's most innocent face. The kind that will make you feel like a jerk if you betray it.

_SHIT! I can't say no! Then I'll look like a douche! I can't betray Noel's efforts! Even if they will lead to my death!_

"...N...No...It's fine..." Kain managed to say. "I'll try some..."

Makoto and Iris gave him a rather shocked expression, while Noel looked rejoiced that Kain is willing to try out her meal.

_Well, it's been fun while it lasted._

Kain said his prayers in his head and started to take a bite of the 'stew'.

"Wait!" Iris cried, stopping everyone from what they were doing.

"What's wrong, Iris?" Noel asked. "Do you want to try some too?"

"Y...Y–yes..." Iris said with fear and regret,

"Iris, no!" Makoto whispered into her ear.

"If Kain's going to do it," Iris managed to say with all of her courage. "Then I'll do it too."

_You're a true saint, Iris~!_

Tears of joy and relief ran from Kain's eyes.

Iris got a bowl of 'stew' and looked at it with several regrets. After exchanging prepared glances with Kain, the two took a taste of Noel's 'dish'. But to everyone's great surprise, what Kain was expecting as the most horrible apocalypse in his mouth, he did not sense anything.

"Huh?" he asked as he tried it one more time.

He did not taste any evil or potato pleads for salvation or death at all. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it a little.

"Hey, this isn't half bad," Kain complimented to Noel, who took with great happiness.

"You really think so!?" she practically yelled.

"Well I can't say it's good," Kain said. "But it's pretty decent."

With that Kain managed to finish off his entire dish, **cleanly**. As Noel had a sense of pride and accomplishment, Makoto could only just stare at him in dumbfounded shock and disbelief.

"That's impossible!" Makoto blurted. "I mean, that's **Noel's** cooking we're talking about here! How can anyone possibly eat it and like it!?"

"Hey! That's harsh, Makoto!" Noel complained.

"Sorry if I hurt your feelings Noel," Makoto said. "But get real! You and I both know how horribly suckish your cooking is!"

As the two were arguing, Kain noticed that Iris hasn't move at all after eating the stew.

"Iris?" he asked. "You okay? Hey, Iris!"

Without a word, Iris suddenly fell over, unconscious.

"What the hell!?" Kain cried. "IRIS!"

Kain managed to catch her while getting Noel's and Makoto's attention.

"Holy crap!" Makoto exclaimed. "I knew it couldn't be true! Noel, you did it again!"

"What!?" Noel panicked. "It's my fault!?"

"Who else is there!?" Kain yelled at her as he tried to wake up Iris. "Get it together, Iris! Don't die on me!"

"I...believed in you...Kain..." Iris murmured. "How...could you betray me...?"

"Why are you making it sound like it's my fault!?"

"Oh, God! She's delirious!" Makoto yelled. "She needs medical attention!"

"Wait a minute, Noel!" Kain yelled. "Don't you ever taste your own dishes!?"

"I make a habit not to," Noel said.

"THAT"S CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT RIGHT THERE!" Kain yelled. "IRIIIIIIIIIISSSS!"

* * *

"Ugh..." Iris moaned. "What...happened...?"

She found herself in a bed in a room, hours after her dance with death. Besides her, Noel and Makoto were nursing her back to health.

"Noel...? Makoto...?" Iris asked. "What happened?"

"Oh...uh...nothing..." Noel answered nervously. "Nothing...at all..."

Iris looked confused, but let it slide.

"Where's Kain?" Iris asked.

"He's relaxing in the lounge," Makoto said.

"How did I end up here...?" Iris asked. "The last thing I recall was that–"

Iris suddenly remembered what happened at the mess hall, along with the 'death dinner' that came in the end.

"...death...potato..." Iris stammered in fear.

Noel and Makoto suddenly looked guilty as Iris resurfaced Noel's failed attempt at potato stew.

"...so you do remember..." Makoto said.

"Iris..." Noel said uneasily. "...I'm sorry..."

"N-No! Don't be!" Iris replied nervously. "You made that dish for us, so we should be thankful for it, at least."

They all let out sighs of defeat.

"But still," Makoto said. "Kain really took us for a surprise by eating all that!"

"Yeah..." Noel said. "I didn't expect him to finish all that."

"He did?" Iris asked. "I don't remember that."

The stew seemed to have given Iris short-term memory loss.

"But I guess Kain could have done so," Iris said. "He's amazing."

As Iris was complimenting Kain, Makoto stared at Iris in suspicion, interrupting her.

"W...what?" Iris asked.

"Hey Iris?" Makoto asked. "Do you like Kain?"

Iris suddenly turned as red as her eyes.

"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-WW-W-W-WHAT!?" Iris exploded in embarrassment. "I-I-I-I-I-II-I-I-I-I-t's n-n-n-no-not like th-th-that!"

"M-Makoto!" Noel scolded in embarrassment. "You shouldn't ask people about their private matters!"

"But you saw that reaction!" Makoto exclaimed. "She's definitely head-over-heals for Kain!"

"I-It's not like that!" Iris stammered. "It's just that Kain was the first person who protected me from anyone and he is really nice and cool despite having a cold side to him but that's because he's going through some trouble and–"

Iris continued on with her speech that seemed to gain speed as she became even redder.

"I...Iris?" Noel asked a little uneasy.

"No use hiding it now," Makoto said more seriously. "So...how did you fall for him?"

"Fueh?" Iris asked. "...promise you won't laugh...?"

Noel and Makoto nodded.

"Okay..." Iris said nervously. "...it was...love at first sight..."

That line that seemed to come from a sappy love movie took Noel and Makoto by surprise for a moment, then the two laughed.

"Hey! I thought you wouldn't laugh!" Iris yelled embarrassed.

"I–I'm sorry but..." Noel tried to say, trying to hold in her laughter. "I didn't expect...to hear something...like that..."

"Yeah..." Makoto struggled to say due to her amusement. "It was so surprising...that we just couldn't help ourselves..."

Iris tried to hide herself as Noel and Makoto finished their laughing.

"But it's pretty cute," Makoto said. "You could look up to something that innocent!"

"R...really?" Iris asked.

"If only it were that easy though..." Noel sighed.

Makoto jabbed at Noel in a teasing fashion.

"You would wish, wouldn't you," Makoto said in a mischievous tone. "Like for Ragna, right?"

The mention of Ragna peeked Iris' attention as Noel turned as red as Iris did.

'_Ragna?' _Iris thought. _'As in 'Ragna the Bloodedge!?''_

"I-I didn't mean Ragna!" Noel exclaimed as she blushed.

"Oh come now!" Makoto teased.

"Do you mean Ragna the Bloodedge!?" Iris suddenly exclaimed, jumping right out of her seat.

"Huh?" Noel asked. "Oh, yes..."

"You know him!?" Iris asked in a raising voice.

"Well...you could say that..." Noel said in a nervous tone.

"Do you know where he is!?" Iris continued.

"If I knew that," Noel said. "Then I wouldn't have that many problems myself."

"I see..." Iris said, a little disappointed.

As Iris became a little disappointed as she was let down, Makoto tried to fix the mood.

"Hey! Did you guys notice that Kain looks a lot like Ragna?" Makoto asked.

Iris and Noel looked a little confused, then thought about the two red swordsmen for a moment.

"Now that you mention it," Noel said. "They do look similar."

"Really?" Iris asked, although she can't really say anything, since she never met Ragna the Bloodedge before.

"Yeah," Makoto said. "They both have the spiky hair, the same color scheme, the weird sword thing, and they both can use The Azure."

"It is strange, indeed," Iris said. "And Ragna the Bloodedge seems to have a connection to Kain's memories too."

"Maybe Kain's Ragna's long-lost brother or something!" Makoto suggested.

"Or a relative?" Noel said. "There isn't much about Ragna's family that we knew about..."

Iris looked up to the ceiling, deep in thought.

"...Look," Makoto said. "No matter what, we'll find out!"

"? We?" Iris asked.

"Of course!" Makoto exclaimed with her trademark energy. "We are friends!"

Iris looked astonished at the term 'friend', but smiled.

"Yes!" Iris exclaimed. "We're friends!"

Noel nodded in agreement as the three girls pumped fists to make their new friendship official.

"Oh, and Noel?" Iris asked. "Can you help me pick out a new outfit? At this rate, Sector Seven will keep bugging me..."

"Oh, I think I can help," Noel said. "I have some spare clothing around..."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the lounge, Kain was sleeping in a chair, when he suddenly woke up.

"Crap, I fell asleep," he said to himself.

"You tired, Kain?" a voice asked from behind.

Kain turned to see Tager, carrying a tank of oil.

"Tager," Kain said as he eyed the oil tank. "What's with the oil? That you're drink?"

"Pretty much," Tager said as he sat down on a bigger chair and poured some oil into a glass. "So are you tired?"

"After all the crap I dealt with, today," Kain said. "Pretty much."

"Well you should rest up for tomorrow then," Tager advised. "You and Iris will be getting your first mission then."

"Is that so," Kain said as he examined his sword, deep in thought.

"? Something on your mind?" Tager asked.

"...Tager," Kain asked. "Does Noel have anything to do with Ragna?"

Tager looked a bit astonished at Kain's question, but did answer it properly.

"Well you can say that the two seem to have a rather close relationship," Tager said. "Regarding what happened back in Kagutsuchi. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," Kain said. "It's just, that Noel seems somewhat familiar now, after seeing her up close. I just can't put my tongue on it..."

Kain was in deep thought again, as now he has more problems on his mind.

"By the way, what's Kagutsuchi?" Kain asked. "At this point, I've heard a lot of alien terms."

"Right, you don't remember anything," a voice interrupted them.

They turned to see Kokonoe, who had a document on her.

"Kokonoe," Kain said. "By the way, can you give me a history lesson? Pretty sure the world didn't start this crappy. It would help me at this point, and it could help me regain some memories."

"Eh. I guess it couldn't hurt anyone," Kokonoe agreed. "Tager, give Kain the history lesson."

"Wait, I have to do it?" Tager asked.

"You got a problem?" Kokonoe asked, with a tone of authority.

"...Fine..." Tager groaned.

And thus, Tager explained to Kain a brief history of the world.

Starting from 100 years ago, when the Black Beast appeared and almost exterminated mankind, to when the Six Heroes appeared and defeated the Black Beast, saving humanity, dubbing this onslaught The "Dark War", which lead to the rise of the NOL. Several years later, the Ikaruga Civil War occurred, where the Ikaruga Federation rebelled against the NOL and how it ended with the actions of Jin Kisaragi. There were also explanations on Ars Armagus and the Nox Nyctores casuality weapons, along with Grimoires and the fabled "Sankishin Units", Susanoo, Tsukuyomi, and Master Unit Amaterasu. And it ended with the terrorist attack on the NOL by Ragna the Bloodedge.

"...and that concludes our history lesson," Tager said. "So? Did you gain anything from that?"

"...I didn't remember anything," Kain said. "But I at least know what's going on."

Kain sighed as he sank into his chair.

"Man, aren't we sitting in a load of crap..." Kain said. "So what the hell is Sector Seven?"

"Basically," Kokonoe said. "We're an anti-NOL faction who rely more on science instead of Armagus. Any other questions?"

"One," Kain said. "Why the hell're you keeping me then? If you're anti-Armagus, then wouldn't keeping an Armagus tank like me be practically going against your morals?"

"There are times," Kokonoe simply said with some annoyance. "Where you need to go against morals to deal with a bigger threat."

While Kain looked confused, he only left it as that.

"So?" Kain asked. "What's with the file?"

"? Oh this?" Kokonoe asked. "Oh this is–"

"There you are, Kain!" Makoto's voice exclaimed.

They looked to see Makoto and Noel, where Iris seemed to be hiding behind them.

"Well isn't this a party," Kain said. "? What's up with Iris?"

"Oh, she's just shy," Makoto said.

"Shy?" Kain asked.

"Come on," Noel said. "Don't you want to show off?"

Iris made an embarrassed groan, as she timidly made her appearance. She was now wearing a blue colored dress and beige sleeve. She also had beige socks riding up right below her knees and wore similar steel-toed boots like Kain's, but only blue. She had her hair tied into a high riding ponytail compared to Kain's low riding ponytail.

"W...well?" Iris asked. "What do you think...?"

Kain seemed to be captivated by Iris' new appearance, but snapped out of it.

"It suits you good, Iris," Kain complimented, making Iris blush.

"R...really?" Iris asked nervously.

"Yeah."

"O...kay then..." Iris murmured happily.

"Sorry to interrupt, you two," Kokonoe said. "But here's your first job."

As such, Kokonoe casually flung the document at Kain, who managed to catch it.

"I'll go over it tomorrow," Kain said. "So for now, just look through the document and get some sleep. I can't have you two be tired and screw everything up."

Kain read through the files, while Iris went over and read through them along with Kain.

"? The 8th Hierarchical City of Wadatsumi?" he asked.

* * *

Meanwhile, at night, Burai was still traveling with Jubei and Jin, where they had set up camp.

"So?" Jin asked. "How long do you plan to follow us?"

"Aren't you a good host," Burai said sarcastically. "Don't worry, I'm only gonna tag along until I at least find one of my friends."

"I see then," Jubei said as he cooked a giant dead snake. "By the way, this Kain fella, what's he like?"

"Oh, Kain is frickin' strong!" Burai exclaimed. "The dude may be a little oblivious, but the dude can kick ass! He's one of my best friends and an irreplaceable one! And he even has The Azure Grimoire on him!"

The Azure Grimoire caught the attention of Jubei and Jin.

"...Is that so," Jubei said. "An interesting fella, this Kain is."

"Indeed," Jin said, rather interested for a change. "Someone who bears The Azure Grimoire, eh?"

As they seemed to become more interested in Kain, something buzzed within Burai's pocket.

"Huh?"

Burai looked through it to find a sort of transceiver, which was picking up a signal.

"No way!" he exclaimed as he checked it. "Is anyone there!? Hello!?"

"...ra..." a voice said, but the noise was too great. "B...ra...Bu...ra...Burai!? Are you there!?"

"That voice," Burai responded. "Is that Hikari!?"

"Oh thank goodness!" Hikari exclaimed over the transceiver. "I finally could get in contact with someone! Are you safe? Is everyone else okay!?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Burai explained. "Although no one else is with me."

"Well, at least we can contact each other," Hikari said. "Do you know where everyone else is?"

"No," Burai said. "Damn, this is the one time I wish that your brother was here. Or even Kidou for that matter."

"They would know what to do," Hikari said. "But they'll be fine. For now, we need to focus on regrouping at least."

Burai agreed.

"So, where are you then?" Burai asked.

"From the surroundings," Hikari said. "It seems that I'm in Wadatsumi."

"All right then," Burai said. "I'll meet you there. Then we can figure the rest of this shit out."

As Burai cut off the transmission, he got up.

"So, yer headed to Wadatsumi then?" Jubei asked, overhearing the conversation.

"Yessir!" Burai exclaimed. "So where is it?"

"I'll lead you there," Jin said all of a sudden, surprising both Jubei and Burai.

"Wait, why're you coming along?" Burai asked. Indeed, it was rare, if not imaginably impossible for Jin to voluntarily help someone he considered an 'obstacle'.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Jin said. "I decided to meet this 'Kain'."

"Why're you so interested in Kain suddenly?" Burai asked.

"Even if you are pathetic in frontal combat," Jin said. "You are indeed an exceptional fighter. And for him to gain your highest praise...and that he even possesses the Azure...I want to see if he is truly as much as you praise him."

"Well fer now," Jubei said. "You two get some rest. We'll head to Wadatsumi in the mornin'."

"Wait, you're coming too?" Burai asked.

"I don't see no reason not to," Jubei said.

"Whatever then," Burai said as he took a bite out of the cooked snake. "But I'm not sure it's gonna be that easy to find Kain..."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** Who would have thought that Kain could handle Noel's death dinner! Didn't go so well for Iris though... It looks like everyone's into Kain lately, and there are more new strangers out there, just waiting for their debuts, and Iris gets a new wardrobe (it's basically a cross between Noel's old costume and Iris' current NOL uniform)! Will they all end up meeting in Wadatsumi? And _he's_ finally gonna finally make an appearance!

PS: For those who are starting to get an idea of who Kain is, please don't spoil it until the story answers it (although it does seem pretty obvious at this point if you think about it).

Stay tuned for the next chapter and please **R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6: Contact

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 6: Contact**

* * *

**AN: **I have returned with Chapter 6! Again we see some familiar faces, and some reunions.

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

Side note: I have no idea where Sector Seven is. I've heard that it's in Wadatsumi, but for now, I'm just gonna make it _near_ Wadatsumi, since wikia didn't give me a clear answer...

* * *

_Day two is over with, and now we have to deal with our first job._

_Wonder if this Wadatsumi or whatever has some answers to my memories._

_If I was able to get one; I'll get all the others!_

_Well, leaving that aside, man, did Iris look good in that dress..._

_...Wait...what the hell am I thinking!?_

_Iris is my friend! It's not anything like that!_

_Or is it...?_

_Gah! Focus man! Focus!_

* * *

After a goodnight's rest, Kain and Iris were ready to start their first mission as Sector Seven operatives. They entered Kokonoe's lab to get their debriefing.

"Good, you two are here," Kokonoe said. "Now, let's get this debriefing over with."

She pulled up a map of the 8th Hierarchical city of Wadatsumi; their destination.

"Don't worry, it's simple," Kokonoe assured. "Recently, there's been an abnormal increase in the seithr levels there, but we don't know why."

"When did this start?" Kain asked.

"Pretty recently," Kokonoe said. "Around the time you showed up actually."

"Isn't that one weird coincidence," Kain said. "Go on."

Kokonoe nodded as she pinpointed a certain town.

"Here's where the seithr levels started to increase," Kokonoe said. "As well as where the seithr seems to be the most concentrated. I want you two to investigate it and report back what you find."

"Should we even be doing this?" Iris asked. "I mean it's just some unusual seithr growth. It's happened before. It'll solve itself."

"That's because you Library dogs always dealt with them," Kokonoe growled, shutting up Iris.

"Yo, lay off," Kain said threateningly.

The two glared at each other, then calmed down.

"This seithr growth is unlike any other in record," Kokonoe explained. "And it just sprung out like a flower in spring. There's definitely something there, and I'll be damned to let the Library get their hands on whatever is before we do."

"So basically," Kain said. "You just want us to go in there and bring back whatever's producing so much seithr. Is that it?"

"I'm glad to have an operative," Kokonoe said. "who knows how to get down to the point."

"But..." Iris asked.

"What?" Kokonoe asked annoyed.

"It's just..." Iris said. "I was wondering if I could even help out with Kain. I mean, I can't fight at all. So what good can I do?"

Kain rubbed her head in trying to comfort her.

"Don't worry about it," Kain said. "I'll protect you."

"Kain..." Iris said, and then smiled in gratitude.

"Well, we'll suit you with something," Kokonoe said. "so that you aren't **that** useless."

"!? That's harsh..." Iris said shocked. Kain continued to rub her head in comfort.

"Now, now," Kain said.

"A transport will be waiting outside," Kokonoe said. "So get moving."

"Isn't Wadatsumi near Sector Seven?" Iris asked. "Why do we need a transport?"

"It's faster than walking," Kokonoe retorted coldly. "Now get your asses over there!"

With that, the two left her room and headed to the transport, leaving Kokonoe by herself. She sighed as she sank into her chair. Moments later, as Kain and Iris found the transport and entered it, they found Noel, Makoto and Tager were already riding in it.

"Noel! Makoto! Tager!" Kain exclaimed. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Oh I forgot to mention," Kokonoe announced over a transmitter. "I'm having those three tag along with you two. With them, you shouldn't have a problem in terms of power."

"I guess," Kain said. "That makes sense."

"And here I thought I could get some alone time..." Iris sulked.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Kain asked.

"Ah! N–Nothing!" Iris stammered, blushing.

As Kain shrugged it off, the pilot started the transport ship.

"We shall be heading for Wadatsumi shortly," he announced.

With that, the transport ship headed to Wadatsumi, which was only a few minutes.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in a blockaded district. Tsubaki was panting as she was trying to hide from something.

"…Did I lose him...?" Tsubaki moaned, the energy drained from her.

As she hid behind a tree, a purple streak of energy struck down from behind and destroyed the tree, where Tsubaki barely managed to dodge it. As she rolled back, she saw Envy walking towards her.

"What is the meaning of this, Envy!?" Tsubaki moaned. "I knew you couldn't be trusted!"

"Oh?" Envy asked. "Didn't I just give you some fruits for thought about trust last time we met?"

"You're the exception!" Tsubaki growled, the pain getting to her.

"I'd recommend you not to move that much, Major," Envy taunted. "You're already useless as it is. Please, do not push yourself."

Tsubaki scowled at Envy as she managed to get back up.

"And besides, I am only following orders," Envy said. "I was ordered to execute you for allowing a 'rebel' to escape. By the Imperator, of course."

"What!?" Tsubaki cried. She would never believe that the Imperator, the leader of the NOL that Tsubaki idolizes would allow such a heinous act.

"Oh, you don't believe me?" Envy asked as he took out a paper with a seal on it. "Look, I even have the Imperator's seal."

Tsubaki looked shocked as she tried to read the order, but Envy quickly faced it away from her.

"Oh allow me," Envy said. "I'm sure you're having problems with your vision as it is with the Izayoi. No need to stress yourself."

Envy looked at the paper and read what was on it.

"Ahem," Envy said. "Captain Envy, you are hereby ordered to assassinate Major Tsubaki Yayoi for treason against the Novus Orbis Librabrium and allowing S Class Criminal 'Kain' and traitor 'Iris Esperanto' escape."

Tsubaki was devastated as Envy finished reading the paper.

"Mmm..." Envy said. "To think that you of all people would do such a thing. Well I cannot possibly feel the pain you are enduring about now. But it would be bad if people you knew found out that you were a double-crossing **whore** who 'killed' the innocent."

Tsubaki looked confused.

"Oh I know about that last girl you met," Envy said. "And I know what happened at the tent. I even have a recording of it. By manipulating some information and data, I can say that you murdered an innocent girl for being in league with the Grim Reaper, when it turns out that she wasn't in league with anyone at all! It is so easier to manipulate information on someone with no records! Isn't propaganda great?"

Envy's prosecution went on.

"I mean, you betray your friends, and now you even betray your enemies. Hell, you even killed an innocent little girl. You do not have a rightful side to belong. Nay, I would place my bets in saying that not even your friends, or Jin Kisaragi, would accept you as the mistrustful murderer that you are now if this information were leaked..."

"I...I..." Tsubaki murmured in horror.

"I am terribly sorry for you, Major Tsubaki–truly I am," Envy said. "But you did bring this on yourself."

Tsubaki didn't even bother to look up as Envy went on.

"You failed to capture two rebels of the NOL," Envy said. "And you lose twice against two fugitives. Sounds like a bad record if I do say so myself. And if you add all the dirt that I just surfaced, there doesn't seem to be a way out of this."

Envy walked towards Tsubaki, and raised her head up to his.

"There is one way for you to redeem yourself, however," Envy said. "Just fulfill your duties and capture the fugitives."

Tsubaki eyes widened.

"Fulfill your duties as a loyal servant to the great Imperator," Envy suggested. "By capturing Kain and all of his fugitive friends. Then the Imperator will surely forgive you."

It looked as if Envy's malice sunk into Tsubaki, as she was now twisted in her own thoughts and fighting against her own beliefs.

"...I'll overlook this encounter," Envy said. "So please, Major Yayoi. Fulfill your role as the Imperator's arm. Trust me."

Tsubaki got back up and headed towards her destination, leaving Envy alone. He took out the paper with Tsubaki's execution order, as he read it aloud again.

"Lieutenant Tsubaki Yayoi," Envy said. "You are hereby ordered to assassinate Major Jin Kisaragi and Lieutenant Noel Vermillion. Heh heh heh...to think such old garbage could be so useful for a bluff."

Envy cackled to himself as he lit the paper on fire and let the ashes into the breeze.

"How naïve you are Tsubaki..." he said. "So gullible and prejudice. Justice isn't always painted in white, you know..."

"...Envy?" a transmitter voiced out. Envy took it out and connected it.

"Oh, Captain Hazama," Envy addressed. "How long have you been on hold?"

"I've tried to contact you for a while now," Hazama said, a little disappointed. "What have you been doing this whole time?"

"What about you?" Envy asked.

"Well, I had to get rid of some trash," Hazama said. "Those bitches...I still can't believe that Rags got into Ikaruga. Which area was it...ah, doesn't matter, I guess. He'll die anyway."

"'Rags'?" Envy asked.

"Oh, right, that's Ragna the Bloodedge," Hazama said. "Why bother calling him by that long ass name, anyway? Either way, he's still going to be 'rags'. So? What have you been up to today?"

"...Well let's just say," Envy said. "That you should look forward to Major Yayoi's future efforts."

"I beg your pardon?" Hazama asked. "Why should we waste our time with that garbage collector?"

"You never know, Hazama," Envy said malevolently. "You know the saying 'one man's trash is another man's treasure.'"

* * *

Moments later, in that same blockade district.

"Come on, Sis," a boy said. "We're not that far off."

In their journey, there was a boy with a large purple figure that seemed to be some sort of robot, maneuvering themselves through the blockaded district that led to Ibukido. They were Carl Clover, and the Nox Nyctores: Deus Machina: Nirvana.

"If we can make it to Ibukido," Carl said. "Then there's a good chance that we can find **him**."

Nirvana didn't respond, but only reacted to anything Carl did.

"Huh? No I'm fine," Carl said. "The road isn't that treacherous. I think we can manage."

As the two moved along, they noticed a figure in the distance.

"Huh?" Carl asked, squinting his eyes.

The figure, or precisely figures, seemed to be a man, and a larger figure in a robe. The sight of them suddenly gave Carl a rather grim expression.

"Sis," Carl commanded.

On cue, Nirvana created an orb of energy and shot it at the figure. The larger figure saw it coming and shielded the other figure.

"What are you doing here!?" Carl yelled as he got closer. "Father!?"

"Father!?" the voice asked, flabbergasted. "Whoa, whoa, I'm still a virgin!"

With closer look, Carl realized that the figure Carl addressed as 'father', wasn't his father at all. The man had blonde hair, hazel colored eyes, was wearing a purple jacket over a London-style white shirt and purple slacks. He tucked in his purple hat with black lining as he backed off. Carl looked embarrassed and backed off as well.

"I-I'm terribly sorry!" Carl apologized. "I thought you looked like someone I knew, so–!"

"So you attack me?" the man asked. "You must hate this person a lot."

"I'm sorry," Carl said. "I'm just under a lot of stress."

"I can understand," the man said. "Well, let bygones be bygones."

Carl smiled at the man's generosity.

"I am Carl Clover," Carl introduced himself. "And this is my sister, Ada. May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Claude," the man said. "And this is Sieg. My partner. Nice to meet you."

The two boys shook hands in a sign of making up.

"So Carl," Claude said. "This man. Your father, right? Do you hate him that much? What could he have possibly done to you to cause this much rage?"

Carl didn't respond to that, the memory of the cause was too painful to recal.l Claude saw this from Carl's pained expression.

"I'm sorry," Claude apologized. "It looks like I have asked something that I shouldn't have."

"What? No, you don't need to apologize!" Carl exclaimed. "S–So Claude, where are you and Sieg headed for?"

"Actually," Claude said. "We are looking for someone. A vigilante named Kain. Have you heard of him?"

"Kain?" Carl asked. "No, I haven't. I would know, since I too am a vigilante, but I never heard of anyone with that name. Is he lost?"

"...You can say that," Claude said. "My friends and I went to search for him, but we ended up getting separated. Not to mention my twin sister got lost too. Now I have to look for Kain and everyone else."

With a sigh, Claude looked down, depressed and stressed.

"So, where are you and your sister headed to?" Claude asked.

"We're headed to Ibukido," Carl said. "There, I may find my father."

"Your father, huh," Claude said. "Do you mind if I tag along?"

"Huh? What for?" Carl asked.

"It'll be the same wild goose chase, anyway" Claude replied. "And it's more fun to travel with a friend."

"You would call me a friend?" Carl asked, a little surprised. "But we just met."

"So?" Claude asked. "It doesn't matter. I try to see the good in people. And I feel that I can trust you. Is there something wrong about that?"

Carl thought about it for a moment, then decided.

"I don't see why not," Carl said. "All right then, let's go!"

As the four departed for Ibukido, a faint voice could be heard.

"Do you hear that?" Claude asked.

"Huh?" Carl asked.

"WAAAIIIIT JUUUST A MOOOMENT THEEEEREEEE, SIIR CARRRLLL!" the voice yelled, going from faint to extremely loud. They looked up to see another figure in the sky. As Claude looked confused, Carl had an uneasy look on his face. The figure crashed in front of them, taking both puppets into a defensive position.

"What was that!?" Claude yelled.

"I have a good idea..." Carl said with a weak will.

The figure got up and stood in front of them. He had spiky swift back, slightly long brown hair, amber eyes, wore a dark green ninja outfit that exposed his six-pack, and wore a long red scarf. He carried a long nail, two gauntlets, and had an X-shaped scar on his forehead.

"Wait, do you know him?" Claude asked.

"Yes..." Carl said weakly.

"I say, Sir Carl," the man said. "Fancy meeting you here! And who is this with you? A fellow vigilante friend?"

"Claude," Carl explained. "This is Bang Shishigami. An Ikarugan."

"I see," Claude said, still taken aback from the entrance. "Well, Bang...I am Claude. Nice to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you too, Sir Claude!" Bang exclaimed. "And who may this be?"

Sieg was still in its defensive position as it got between Bang and Claude.

"This is my partner, Sieg," Claude said. "Sorry, he's just a little rattled by your entrance."

"Oh, my apologies!" Bang said. "So, how's my cute little disciple doing? What are you doing in Ikaruga?"

"'Cute little disciple'?" Claude asked Carl.

"It's a long story..." Carl only responded. "Well, Mr. Bang, I am headed for Ibukido to find my father."

"I see," Bang said. "Then we shall join your journey!"

"What!?" Carl asked. "Wait, _we_?"

"Hey! Don't leave Luna, you damn scruffy old fart!" a voice yelled. They looked to see a young girl in a cream-colored cloak running up to them. She had peach-colored hair, reaching her ankles and carried a staff wrapped up in a cloth.

"Ah, Platinum," Bang said.

"'Ah, Platinum', my ass!" the girl called Platinum yelled. "You know Luna can't keep up with you if you suddenly shoot out into the air! We have to wait for that 'other' girl too!"

"Other?" Claude asked.

"My apologies there," Bang said jovially. "But I suddenly sensed the presence of a rather mighty warrior near someone I knew, so I made haste! You can say that I couldn't control myself!"

"Mighty warrior?" Carl asked.

In response, Bang pointed to Claude with great enthusiasm.

"You! Sir Claude!" Bang exclaimed. "You show the sign of great potential! Let us battle to test our strengths!"

"Wait, what?" Claude asked.

"Mr. Bang," Carl said. "I don't think we have the time to–"

"All right then," Claude said, surprising Carl and enlightening Bang.

"You're really going to do this?" Carl asked him.

"Why not," Claude said. "I can't really let myself get rusty, now can I."

"O ho! Such a burning spirit!" Bang exclaimed. "It will be an honor to fight you! Sir Claude!"

Bang got ready to fight Claude, who only took a stance.

"Well then," Bang said. "Here I come!"

As Bang charged at him with great speed, Claude raised his arm.

"Sieg!" he exclaimed.

With a wave of an arm, the figure took off the robe and revealed itself to be a puupet just like Nirvana and guarded Claude. The figure seemed more masculine than Nirvana, sporting a similar purple tone, but has more spiked armor, a sort of knight helmet on it, and seemed to be floating a little off the ground.

"What's this!?" Bang yelled.

"A puppet!?" Carl asked in surprise.

"I never said I was alone in this fight," Claude said. "Now then...let's get this show on the road, Sieg!"

* * *

The transport ship managed to reach Wadatsumi, landing inside the heavy air. As the passengers got off, the ship created a sort of barrier that spread out to most of the city, blocking out all the seithr.

"So that's why we took the ship," Kain said.

"The ship can't deploy the barrier for the entire city," Tager said. "So we need to be careful from that point."

"And that point would be where?" Makoto asked.

Tager pointed to what appeared as the ruins of a castle, which wasn't under the light of the barrier.

"There," Tager said.

"And that's where the concentration is coming from," Kain said. "Isn't it?"

Tager nodded in response.

"Alright," Kain sighed. "Let's get a move on..."

As they moved on, Iris looked around the city, all excited.

"What's wrong?" Kain asked.

"Oh, it's just," Iris said. "I never really been out this far in the world before, so I just got excited is all."

"What do you mean?" Kain asked. "Weren't you with the NOL?"

"Just because I was in the NOL," Iris said. "Didn't mean that I got to go to a lot of places. The farthest place from my home was Torifune. And that was where I went to Military School."

"I remember that!" Makoto exclaimed. "Man, those were the days."

"Yeah," Noel said. "Those were some fun times."

As they reminisced on their school days, Kain just stared at them and their happy smiles.

"School, huh," Kain said as he moved on. "Sure would be nice to go to one."

* * *

They neared the ruins, where the barrier reached its limit.

"Out of the barrier is the seithr contaminated area," Tager announced. "We need to settle this quickly and precisely!"

They all nodded as they exited the barrier. But to his surprise, what Kain had expected to be hazardous air that they could only survive for a few moments, the air wasn't any different from all of the other places that he was in. A little muskier yes, but fairly manageable. He tried and moved deeper into the area, but still, no bad effects came upon him.

"I don't get what's wrong," Kain said. "I guess it's a little hard to breathe, but it's manageable."

He turned to the others, who seemed to be having a much more drastic effect, Iris the most.

"What the!? Are you guys alright!?" Kain exclaimed.

"The air's...so polluted..." Iris panted. "Is everyone...else...okay...?"

"I...can manage..." Noel said. "But why's Kain alright...?"

"Maybe it's...because of the Azure..." Makoto said.

Kain looked at his gauntlet. It didn't feel any different from before. Ignoring that, Kain went to help Iris up.

"You okay?" Kain asked.

"Yeah..." Iris said. "I haven't been on that...many field missions, so I guess I'm just not used to the field work."

The two just noticed that Iris suddenly isn't panting or tired anymore.

"Huh?" Iris asked. "I feel fine all of a sudden."

"What?" Kain asked. "Why?"

"Perhaps, the Azure is absorbing the seithr around you," Tager hypothesized. "Since yours seems to be a special type, such function could be possible. And with the seithr absorbed, the air around you is pure."

As a test, Noel and Makoto got close to Kain, they did feel a lot better, as they could now breathe more easily.

"Yeah, Tager's right," Noel said. "I do feel a lot better."

"So Kain's like an air purifier?" Makoto asked.

"I guess so," Kain said.

"It seems like the Azure can absorb seithr in a good radius," Tager said. "I can breathe fine, and I'm not that close to you."

Iris stared at Noel and Makoto angrily and tried to push them away.

"You heard him," she said. "You don't have to be that close!"

"Wha?" Makoto asked. "Oh, I get it."

She nudged at Noel, who understood the situation and backed off. As Iris seemed satisfied, Kain looked confused.

"Then why don't you get away?" Kain asked. "At this rate, it'll be hard for both of us to move if we're this close."

Iris, shocked, slumped away from Kain.

"Man, he's so oblivious," Makoto commented.

"Uh huh," Noel commented as well.

Not understanding what the two maidens were getting at, Kain moved on towards the source.

* * *

They finally reached the castle, where they all looked around for anything that may cause so much seithr to infect the city. As they looked around, they couldn't find anything, until...

"I found something!" Kain yelled. "You guys might wanna see this!"

Everyone else gathered to see a giant black orb just sitting there.

"Kokonoe," Tager reported. "I think we found the source."

"Whoa!" Makoto yelled. "It's huge!"

"So much seithr..." Noel said. "Are you sure it's even safe for us to be near it?"

Kain got in front of Iris, in an act of defending her from the giant orb of seithr.

"Holy crap!" Kokonoe yelled through the transceiver. "This thing is huge! But how did it even get here? Hell, how did it even form!?"

"So, what are your orders?" Tager asked.

"Well, we can't have the NOL get this," Kokonoe said. "Who knows what they'll do if they get their hands on this. Kain, destroy it."

"How?" Kain asked. "I can't just slam the thing with the Laevateinn."

"Trust me," Kokonoe said. "You don't have to do half of that much work, and you'll do fine. Just touch it with your left hand."

Confused as always, Kain got near the orb and touched it with his left finger. As he made contact with it, the pauldron on his gauntlet opened up and started to absorb the seithr at great speed.

"What the!?" Noel asked.

"Forget purifier," Makoto said. "He's a seithr vacuum!"

Iris looked worried as Kain started to struggle with the absorption. Eventually though, all of the excess seithr was gone, and the city was inhabitable once more.

"Kokonoe," Kain reported. "I got all the seithr absorbed."

"Good," she responded. "A nice impression on your first job. Now head back."

As they headed back, a cracking sound vibrated through the air. They turned to the source, which was a girl with red hair and blonde highlights and carried a katana covered in paper seals.

"I can't believe it..." the girl said.

"Who's there!?" Tager yelled.

"!? Tsubaki!?" Noel and Makoto yelled in unison.

"What!? Major Yayoi!?" Iris exclaimed.

"Crap!" Kain muttered.

But at closer look, they realized that it wasn't Tsubaki, but someone else.

"It's not her...?" Noel asked.

"What?" Makoto asked.

The girl seemed to be only staring at Kain, who glared at her.

"Can I help you?" Kain asked, reaching for his sword.

But before he could take it out, the girl ran towards him and embraced him with all of her strength.

"I have finally found you!" she exclaimed gleefully. "Kain!"

"Eh!? Wait, wha-!?" Kain stammered as the two fell to the ground, leaving everyone surprised, especially Iris.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" the girl bawled. "I was so worried about you!"

"What!? What the hell's-!?" Kain yelled.

"Kain?" Iris asked angrily. "Who's this girl?"

"Huh!?"

He turned to see an enraged Iris like never before, frightening the confused swordsman.

"I...Iris?" Kain asked in a cracking voice.

"I'm asking you," Iris said, still having an enraged tone. "Who is she?"

"How the hell should I know!?" Kain yelled as he tried to push the girl off.

"That's my question!" the girl yelled at Iris. "Kain, who is she!? Why are you with some random girl, when you have me!?"

"Why're you making me sound like a two-timer!?" Kain yelled.

The other three, namely Makoto and Noel, were watching the act.

"What's going on here?" Noel asked.

"I think this is one of those 'love triangles' that you see on some love dramas," Makoto said. "TO think that Kain was a player huh."

"Doesn't Kain have amnesia?" Tager asked. "Then how does he know that girl? I thought on the first day, he met Iris, then he met us."

Quickly realizing that, the two girls realized something was off, while Kain was stuck between the carnage of love.

"Would you two stop pulling me!?" Kain yelled.

"NO!" they both yelled as they continued to pull Kain to their side.

* * *

Meanwhile, three other figures had entered Wadatsumi and were near the castle: Burai, Jin, and Jubei.

"The hell?" Burai said. "I could have sworn that there was like a huge mass of seithr around here."

"Hmph," Jin scoffed. "Looks like your skills aren't as I expected."

"The hell d'you say!?" Burai yelled.

As the two started to bicker as usual, Jubei looked towards a distance.

"Hey, quit yer' fightin'," he said. "Look."

The two turned to see the crowd. In there was many people that looked familiar to both of them.

"!? Is that Tsubaki!?" Jin exclaimed. "And–Brother!?"

"Huh!?" Burai looked. "Wait, that's Hikari...and...Kain!"

The two pushed past Jubei to see the crowd.

"If only they calm their horses," Jubei said as he leisurely followed.

* * *

"Hikari!" Burai called out.

The red-haired girl looked to see Burai and Jin.

"Burai!" Hikari called out. "I found Kain!"

"All right!" Burai called out. "So my eyes weren't deceiving me! Yahoo!"

AS Burai hastily ran to them, Jin was stunned by both Hikari and Kain.

"So...this is 'Kain'?" Jin asked Burai.

"Huh? Yeah!" Burai exclaimed. "This is Kain. The guy I was lookin' for!"

'_Impossible_,' Jin thought as Burai was flinging on to Kain. '_That Kain...he looks just like Brother! Well there are some differences, but the resemblance is uncanny...not to mention that this woman resembles Tsubaki. What the hell is going on here...?'_

"Major Kisaragi!?" Noel and Makoto exclaimed.

Jin turned to see Noel and Makoto, and with a cold expression, didn't seem to enjoy noticing their presence too much, especially Noel's.

"So it's you two..." Jin said. "So you two have joined Sector Seven?"

"Y...Yes..." Noel said. "It's good to see that you are well, Major Kisaragi..."

"Don't call me 'Major'," Jin shot back. "You and I both know that we're no longer in the NOL."

"Y...yessir..." Noel stammered nervously.

As Jin seemed rather annoyed, he then turned to Hikari and Kain.

"You," Jin said.

"Me?" Kain asked.

"Do you have any connections to Ragna the Bloodedge?" Jin asked. Everyone else except for Iris, Hikari and Burai caught their attention to this.

"...I don't know..." Kain said.

"Are you mocking me?" Jin asked.

"I mean it..." Kain shot back. "Look, I have amnesia...so even if I had some connection to Ragna, then I wouldn't remember."

Hikari and Burai let go of Kain, shocked.

"Sorry, you two," Kain said. "You seem to know me, but I don't know you two."

"...t-that's impossible... I-I won't admit it..." Hikari stammered with fear and desperation. "But I'm–!"

"...Damn...amnesia...?" Burai asked. "Sonuvabitch! Just when we finally find you, you can't even remember us!? That's not fair!"

Burai pounded his fist onto a nearby wall, making it collapse.

"...hey! What the hell's going on down there!?" Kokonoe yelled through the transceiver. Kain answered it.

"Sorry, Kokonoe," Kain said. "But there're some new characters that showed up. And apparently a Jin Kisaragi and a...bipedal cat? You want me to bring them along with me?"

"...no, leave them," Kokonoe answered. "Especially the cat. You achieved your mission, so get back here."

"Got it," Kain answered. "...and there you have it. Sorry, but we have to leave. I'll see ya' around."

As Kain headed to leave, Hikari and Burai quickly got in his way. They couldn't bear to see their precious friend leave their side once again, even when they finally found him.

"Huh?" Kain asked. "Do you two want something?"

"We finally found you," Burai said. "We're not gonna let you just waltz away from our lives again."

"Yes," Hikari said. "If you have no memory, then we shall get them for you."

Hikari grabbed Kain's arm, but he slapped it away.

"Why the hell should I go with people who I don't even know?" Kain asked. "Look, I know you guys mean good intention, but you shouldn't get involved with a stranger like me. Now please, let me go."

"If that's the case," Hikari said. "Then we will take you by force!"

Hikari suddenly grabbed her katana, while Burai readied his daggers and charged at Kain.

"Son of a–" Kain yelled as he took out his sword, blocking both of their attacks, but forcing him to back off.

"Kain!" Iris cried.

"Stay out of this!"Kain yelled back. "These two are after me!"

The two backed off, as Kain's sword lit with black fire.

"Interesting," Jin commented as he relaxed himself on a stable wall. "I think I'll enjoy this match."

"Mr. Kisaragi!" Makoto yelled. "Stop them!"

"This is their fight, lassie," Jubei said. "They need to be the ones to finish it."

Kain glared at the two as he readied himself.

"I'm gonna find Ragna to get my memories back," Kain said. "I don't have any grudges on you two, but if you're gonna try to stop me, then I won't hold back!"

'_Kain..._' Iris thought worried.

'_Why did it come to this...?_' Noel thought. '_Oh Ragna... please help him...!'_

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere not there.

"Huh...?" a voice asked.

Under the shade of a tree, there was a man. As the man got up, he rubbed his eyes. The man had white spiky hair, had different coloring eyes, a red coat, and had with him a sword similar to Kain's. \

"I must have dozed off," the man said to himself. He rubbed his head and yawned.

"Damn it, where the hell is she?" he asked. "Tao! Hey, Tao! Damn it, where the hell did she run off to this time?"

He stared blankly into the sky for a minute.

"Well, I guess she'll be fine on her own," he said flatly, then got up to leave.

"Wait, Good Guy!" a cheery voice exclaimed. From behind, a catgirl rammed into the man without warning.

"Gah! The hell, Tao!?" the man yelled. "That frickin' hurts!"

"But Good Guy was gonna leave without Tao!" she complained. "And Cat Person told Tao to keep an eye on Good Guy!"

_Cat Person. Heh, damn you, Master. But I guess she's a better companion than anyone else._

"So? Where'd you run off to this time?" the man asked harshly. "Off chasin' a stupid butterfly again?"

Despite how harsh he meant it, Tao didn't lose her smile. Or more like, Tao didn't understand the tone of the man's question.

"How did you know!?" Tao asked in shock and awe.

"You do that like once every hour, damn cat," the man said. "Now, ya' done? Good let's go then."

"Oh wait Good Guy!" Tao exclaimed. "Tao also found Lacking Lady too!"

"'Lacking Lady'?" the man asked. _There's only one person who fits the description. _"You found Noel? I thought she was with Sector Seven."

"Meow? This Lacking Lady is different from the Hat person Lacking Lady," Tao explained.

_What? Someone else?_

Tao went over to the bushes, where it started to rustle.

"Come on, Lacking Lady!" Tao exclaimed. "He won't hurt you! Good Guy's a good guy!"

"I already told you, I'm fine!" a voice unfamiliar to the man yelled. "And for the last time! Stop calling me 'Lacking Lady'!"

Tao came back, dragging a girl with her. The man's eyes widened as the girl stood back up.

"I'm fine!" the girl yelled at Tao, then faced the man. "You must be Ragna the Bloodedge. Or Good Guy, ccording to this one."

The girl had long blonde hair with silver highlight at the tip, wore a white poncho covering a light blue skirt with knee socks. She wore short light blue sleeves and had different coloring eyes as well; her right eye is red, while her left eye is green.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ragna,"" the girl addressed as Ragna was speechless. "My name is Saya..."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** Look's like Envy's up to no good harrassing Tsubaki again. Let's just hope that Tsubaki knows what she's doing. Meanwhile, three groups manage to meet, where we finally have an OC vs OC fight! And lastly, after 5 chapters sleeping under a tree, the official BlazBlue hero, Ragna the Bloodedge finally makes his début in Chrono Paradigm, and meets a girl named Saya. Wait, that name sounds familiar...

Oh and for those of you who are curious, here are explanations for the Drives/Overdrives for Kain, Hikari and Burai:

Kain

Drive: **Laevateinn: **Simply, he can use strong attacks with no limits when his sword is on fire, but he has a limit in terms of energy usage. If he overused it, then he can't make it go on fire and will have to wait for it to recharge.

Overdrive: **Blood Overload**: Wait a minute, Envy already covered this in Chapter 2. What he forgot to say, though, is that this is all thanks to the Azure Grimoire, and during this state, Kain also can recover life with his drive.

Hikari

Drive: **Kousoku Butou** (Light Speed Dance): It's basically a mode switch: once she takes out her katana, she can move lightning fast like against Tsubaki, but at the cost of her power going down. And it's not forever.

Overdrive: **Shinsoku Butou** (Divine Speed Dance): Makes her super speed mode forever, and there's no drop in power.

Burai:

Drive: **Migawari Ken** (Fake Blader): Once hit with an attack, Burai can substitute himself out of it and go for a sneak attack from any angle. This only works when he gets hit.

Overdrive: **Migawari Ansatsusha** (Fake Assassin): He doesn't need to get hit to activate his substitutions.

Well, this is one longass note. From now on, I'm gonna try and make these ending notes shorter. I'm gonna shut up now and let you guys review. See ya next time!


	7. Chapter 7: Build Up

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 7: Build Up**

* * *

**AN:** There is a lot of fighting in this chapter. That's all I've got to say.

_TEXT=thoughts_

* * *

_And here I thought this wasn't going to get more complicated than it has to._

_Now two vigilantes show up, claiming that they know me._

_And now they're trying to kill me!_

_What if they do know me...?_

_Doesn't matter now, they're trying to take me away from Iris and my new friends._

_And I __**won't**__ let that happen!_

* * *

Kain was forced to fend off Hikari and Burai by himself, and he wasn't having an easy time. As he tried to land a hit on Hikari, she would just show her blade of light, then swiftly dodge his attack and get right behind him in a second and slash him from behind. Even trying for any long-range attacks with his gun would only lead to Burai engaging in close combat that the gun mode wasn't suited for.

_Damn it. If it were only one of them–no, it wouldn't make a difference. These two focus on a defensive counter. Especially the ninja. And now there are two of them._

As Kain got some distance, he looked at the sword.

_Even with Laevateinn's power, if I can't land a hit, then it would be useless. And I'd be just wasting energy for nothing._

Kain had to stop thinking, as Burai continued his assault. He rushed towards Kain and stomped on him, making Kain bounce off the ground and into the air.

"Gaha!" Kain exclaimed.

In midair, Burai still was going for another assault.

"Spiral Slasher!"

Burai span vertically, slashing Kain in midair, then went for a finish by slamming the dagger down on Kain, bringing him to the ground. As Kain got back up, Hikari was already in front of him.

"Luster Fang," Hikari said. With the sight of the blade, Hikari instantly vanished and reappeared behind Kain, where he bled out from the abdomen. "Horizontal Flash!"

As Kain fell back to the ground, Hikari and Burai regrouped.

"I can't believe that we're beating Kain," Hikari said with disbelief. "Normally he would have taken us on with ease."

"I guess this is all thanks to his amnesia, huh," Burai said, half-heartedly. "Damn it...damn it to hell!"

The others were watching from the sidelines, respecting Jubei's request of letting Kain handling this on his own.

"We can't just let him do this on his own anymore!" Iris exclaimed. "I'm gonna help!"

As Iris rushed to help Kain, Makoto stopped her

"Calm down, Iris!" she yelle.d "Besides, what can **you **do to help him!?"

Iris suddenly realized that and looked helpless.

"Look, I didn't mean to offend you," Makoto said. "But I'm pretty sure that Kain wouldn't let you fight even if you could."

Iris looked up.

"Believe in him," Makoto advised. "Then once it gets really bad, we'll all gang up on them!"

Jin only watched the battle in silence, being less than impressed with Kain's abilities.

"Well I just don't see it," Jin said coldly. "Why does Burai praise such a weakling like that? Honestly, for someone who looks like Brother, he's making a mockery of him..."

"Now hold up there Jin," Jubei said. "Let's not count the boy out just yet."

Noel just looked worried at Kain as he got back up.

"Tager!?" Kokonoe yelled. "What the hell's going on out there!?"

"It looks like Kain has engaged in battle," Tager responded.

"I can tell that much," Kokonoe retorted. "I'm asking who he's fighting!?"

"Two unknown vigilantes who seem to know Kain," Tager answered.

"What!? More of these mystery characters!?" Kokonoe yelled. "And if I'm not mistaken, readings sense a Nox Nyctores from one of them!"

"What!?" Tager exclaimed.

That was impossible to comprehend for Tager. There were supposed to be only ten Nox Nyctoreses in the world, and they all have an owner already. He didn't recognize neither Hikari's nor Burai's weapons, and apparently, one of them are supposed to be a Nox Nyctores. Meanwhile...

_Goddamn it... Is it really gonna end like this?_

Kain looked back up to Hikari and Burai, who were coming for another assault.

_Damn it...not now...I'm not gonna let them win!_

"Yo Kain!" Kokonoe yelled through the transceiver that Kain had.

"Gah! What the!?" Kain yelled, his ear bursting.

"Would you finish this already!?" Kokonoe yelled.

"Easier said than done!" Kain shot back.

"Just use your damn Grimoire already!" Kokonoe shot back. "You just absorbed a ball of seithr twice the size of Tager. If anything, you're supposed to be a tank, now!"

_Right...the Azure! I still have a shot in this!_

"Right!" Kain responded as he got up.

"Huh?" Hikari asked. "What's he–?"

"I'm going all out!" Kain yelled as he lifted his left arm. "BLOOD OVERLOAD!"

* * *

The pauldron on the gauntlet opened to release a burst of dark energy that surrounded him. In response, his green eyes turned red.

"Oh crap!" Burai squealed. "He's using the Azure!"

As they beamed with red light, Kain suddenly ran up to Burai and smashed his face into the ground, then kicked him across the stage. Hikari only saw this coming for a second, as she tried to out-speed him and g for a slash from behind. Kain only blocked her strike with his arm and grabbed the blade of light with his arm and flung it, along with Hikari, into a building that collapsed. The crowd was stunned, except for Iris, who already saw Kain's red glare of death.

"Holy crap!" Makoto blurted. "The dude suddenly went boss with a flick of a switch!"

"That's the power of his Azure?" Noel asked. "My goodness...it could be even stronger than Ragna's..."

Jin picked up on that comment and glared at Noel, shutting her up. Jin went back to spectating the battle.

"But that trash does have a point," Jin said. "With the activation of the Azure, Kain suddenly gained super human abilities."

As Burai and Hikari got back up, they realized what they were dealing with.

"Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap!" Burai panicked. "'The hell are we going to do!? His normal state was our best shot! If he's in his Overloaded mode, then–!"

"Don't panic!" Hikari yelled, trying to cling on to any hope she could find. "He still has amnesia, so he shouldn't know how to use the Azure–!"

"Sorry," Kain interrupted. "But I regained that part of my memories a while ago."

As Hikari's hope sunk, Kain held his gun and shot a barrage at them, Burai got in and managed to protect both him and Hikari by swiftly cutting down the energy bullets. He let the last one hit, then disappeared.

"Heh! So he's going on the defensive," Jin scoffed. "Futile, at this point."

As Burai reappeared behind Kain for a strike, Kain just held his blade behind him to block Burai's dagger, then elbow jabbed Burai in the jaw.

"Gah!?"Burai yelped as he backed off, giving Kain an opening.

"Strike Inferno!" Kain thrusted his fire lighten sword at Burai, bringing him back into a wall. Hikari appeared right behind him and tried to attack, but Kain grabbed Burai and used him as a shield for Hikari's attack.

"Ow!" Burai yelled.

"Sorry!" Hikari yelled, but Kain threw Burai at Hikari, bringing them back into one place. Kain then held his gun, jumped into the air, and aimed it at them.

"BLOODY RAIN!" Kain started to shoot a storm of even more powerful energy bullets down upon them. After he finished, his left foot lit on fire.

"HELLBOUND!" Kain kicked the fire at them, creating a large head of a beast that imploded on them, creating a massive explosion. As Kain landed, the Overload ended, as his gauntlet closed up, stopping the flow of energy, and his green eyes returned. The sword cooled down as he put it away.

"And that's a wrap," Kain said.

* * *

"Kain!" Iris called out.

She ran up and embraced him.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" she exclaimed. "I was so worried."

"Uh...sure..." Kain said, a little embarrassed. That's when iris realized that everyone was watching, and let go immediately out of embarrassment.

"That was so damn awesome!" Makoto complimented. "You just went red eyes and whooped their asses like it was nothing!"

"You okay?" Noel asked. "You were still pretty banged up."

"Right, about that," Kain said. "Apparently, when I'm in the Overloaded state, I can apparently recover myself as long as I use my blade."

As proof, Kain showed everyone that all of his wounds have been healed.

"Impressive," Jubei said as he joined the crowd. "A little messy in the beginning, but impressive overall."

"...who the hell are you?" Kain asked, surprising everyone, even Jin. All Jubei did was laugh at that comment.

"So ya' really do have amnesia," Jubei said. "You probably got a history lesson from this huge fella' over there. So tell me, Kain. Do you know the Six Heroes?"

"Huh? Well, yeah," Kain said. "There was Hakumen, Valkenhayn, Nine, Trinity, Ju..." He strained saying the name, as he suddenly realized who Jubei was.

"...you're the cat hero," Kain blurted. "Aren't you?"

Jubei laughed even harder as he slammed his paw on Kain's leg several times, which smarted for him to extreme levels.

"Aren't you the honest one!" Jubei exclaimed. "You remind me of an old pupil of mine."

"Oh, really?" Kain asked, still withering from the pain that Jubei just forced onto his leg.

"Do you mean Ragna?" Noel asked, sparking the sudden attention of both Kain and Iris.

"Well, if it isn't Noel!" Jubei said. "It's been a while! How you've been?"

"I've been doing fine, Mr. Jubei," Noel said politely. "Um...may I ask what you are doing with Ma-Mr. Kisaragi?"

"Huh? Oh right," Jubei answered. "I was just teachin' him how to use his Nox properly."

"Teach Major Kisaragi how to properly use the Yukianesa?" Noel asked surprised.

"Does that bother you, Vermillion?" Jin asked coldly and threateningly.

"Eek! N-No sir..." Noel stammered.

As Jin sighed annoyed, Kain walked towards the fallen Hikari and Burai. As they looked up, Kain helped them up on their feets.

* * *

"Huh...?" Burai asked. "Kain...?"

"Sorry for beating you two up," Kain said. "But I didn't want to leave my new friends."

"But..." Hikari said, the pain getting to her.

"Look, you two may know me, before all of this happened," Kain said. "And that I should trust you two more than them. But right now, they helped me up in this God forsaken world. So I can't just leave them."

Kain let the two lean on a wall.

"If I couldn't remember anything about you two even after all of this," Kain went on. "Then either you two lied to me, or there's something more to my amnesia than there truly is. And I don't want to believe that you two lied to me."

Kain thought about it for a moment, then thought of something.

"Do you two want to come with us?" Kain offered. "I'm pretty sure that we need all the help that we need."

The two looked a little surprised, but smiled.

"Duh, man!" Burai exclaimed. "We're always a team! Even if you can't remember us..."

"To serve you," Hikari said. "That is my purpose, after all."

"I don't know if it's that big of a deal," Kain said. "But okay then, come on."

* * *

While Kain was dealing with Burai and Hikari, Jin was ready to leave already.

"Ah, wait! Major Kisaragi!" Noel exclaimed.

"What?" Jin asked flatly.

"I was just wondering," Noel said. "...If you would like to join us?"

"Excuse me?" Jin asked as he glared at Noel with disbelief.

"I was just suggesting," Noel said nervously. "That we should stick together, since the NOL is getting stronger now..."

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Makoto exclaimed. "With Mr. Kisaragi, then we can surely beat the NOL's ass!"

Jin only sighed as he started to leave.

"I'll have to decline on that offer," Jin said. "I have my agenda to deal with. Besides, why should I go with–"  
"It seems like that Kain there," Jubei interrupted. "Is lookin' fer Ragna."

Jin's cold expression suddenly lit up with emotion at the mere mention of Ragna.

"He's looking for Brother!?" Jin exclaimed. "Why!?"

"Accordin' to Tager's story," Jubei said. "Apparently Ragna has some link to the boy. And if he finds Ragna, then Kain can get his memories back."

This peeked Jin's interest.

'_Just what kind of connection does this Kain have with my Brother?' _Jin thought. '_This is worth checking out.'_

"On second thought," Jin said. "I'll go with you all."

"Really!?" Makoto exclaimed with joy. "What made you change your mind?"

"...I made some changes to my plans," Jin only stated.

As Makoto seemed to be rejoicing, Noel looked very uneasy towards Jin, which caught Iris' attention.

"Are you all right, Noel?" Iris asked.

Noel squealed as she turned to Iris, catching everyone's attention.

"Wha...it's nothing..." Noel said. Jin only sighed in disappointment.

"S...sorry..." Iris whispered to Noel.

"YO!" Kain yelled.

Kain, Hikari, and Burai joined in the crowd.

"Kain," Iris said. "What's going on?"

"They're coming with us," Kain explained. "They could help me find my memories again, and they could prove to be of some use."

"O...okay..." Iris said uneasily.

"So what's going on here?" Kain asked.

They explained the new addition of Jin to their team to Kain.

"So we're getting the Hero of Ikaruga on our team, eh?" Kain asked. "Sounds interesting."

"Just don't get in my way," Jin replied coldly as he pushed past Kain.

"Heh, aren't you the lively one," Kain said sarcastically. "Well then, let's get going then."

As he headed back to Sector Seven, Hikari clinged herself on to Kain's arm.

"What the!?" Kain yelled. "Hey, let go of me!"

"No!" Hikari refused. "I will not leave your side again, Kain!"

"Huh!?" Kain exclaimed as Burai patted his shoulder.

"We ain't giving up on you, bro," he said. "Even if you can't remember us, we'll always be your friend."

As they headed back to Sector Seven, Iris glared at Hikari, which Makoto noticed.

"You jealous?" Makoto teased. Iris look flustered.

"N-No..." Iris stammered, as she followed Kain.

* * *

"...hey! Wait up, Ragna!" a girl yelled. "Hey wait!"

As the blonde girl chased after him, Ragna only groaned and glared at the girl.

"Shut up damnit!" Ragna yelled. "Who told you to follow me, anyway!?"

"So you're just gonna leave a defenseless girl out here in the open!?" the girl yelled.

"Phh, please," Ragna scoffed. "You and I both know that you're not _defenseless_, so quit following me, bitch."

"My name's not 'bitch'!" the girl yelled. "I have a name, you know!"

Ragna groaned. He knows that her name is not 'bitch', but 'Saya'. A name all too familiar to him.

"Mew?" Tao asked. "How come Good Guy doesn't like Lacking Lady 2?"

"'2'?" Ragna asked. "Whatever...I have my reasons."

As he kept moving forward, Saya chased after him, until she managed to catch up to Ragna.

"Ragna, you asshole!" Saya yelled. "I said wait damn it!"

Her profanity managed to catch Ragna's attention.

"Well don't you have lip," Ragna commented sarcastically.

"Like playing nice girl will get me anywhere in this world," Saya retorted. "I already know that."

The two glared at each other, until Ragna continued forward.

"You have spunk, brat," Ragna said. "...Fine, whatever...just don't get in my way..."

_Damn it...what's up with this brat? She looks way too similar to Noel or 'her'...hell she looks a little like me, especially the way she talks to me is similar...the hell is she!? And if I'm not mistaken, this presence within her is a Murakumo Unit...is she another one?_

As Ragna glared at Saya as he moved on, she was yet pestered by Tao.

"Mew, hey Lacking Lady 2," Tao said. "How do you know Good Guy?"

"For the last time, damn it!" Saya yelled. "My name is not 'Lacking Lady 2'! And why is it 2!?"

"Mew? Because there's already a Lacking Lady," Tao explained. "Since you have no breasts like Lacking Lady, you're Lacking Lady 2!"

Saya placed her arms in front of her chest in embarrassment.

"You bitch..." Saya mumbled, but soon realized that the unintelligent cat wouldn't listen to her. "Whatever..."

Saya gave up and moved on, catching up to Ragna.

"So where are we headed?" Saya asked Ragna.

"What's this 'we' crap?" Ragna shot back. "...well, _I'm_ headed to Ibukido. You can go do whatever the hell you want, just stop following me."

As Ragna left Saya behind, she only pouted and relentlessly followed Ragna.

"...you're not gonna stop," Ragna stated. "Are you?"

"Really?" Saya asked mockingly.

"Haha! She's funny!" Tao exclaimed. "Tao's gonna called you 'Funny Lady' now!"

"...I guess that's an improvement..." Saya muttered. "As long as I'm not Lacking Lady 2 again..."

_Damn it...her lip is like mine..._

Ragna only sighed as he let Saya do as she pleased. Until he sensed something. Something that he wished he never felt.

"Damn it," Ragna said. "Talk about tough luck..."

"Huh?" Saya asked.

"Mew?" Tao asked.

They all turned to see a muscular man cladded in white armor, with long bright blue hair flowing in the wind, as he had a sword as long as him on his back. He wore a mask, covering his face.

"Son of a bitch..." Ragna muttered.

"Hey, it's Mask Person!" Tao exclaimed.

Ragna suddenly grabbed the hilt of his sword as the masked warrior moved towards him.

"The hell're you doing here?" Ragna asked cautiously.

"...Black one..." the masked warrior stated, ignoring Ragna's question. "...who is the girl?"

"Hell if I should know..." Ragna only retorted. "Why do you care all of a sudden? What, you're suddenly a pedophile now?"

"...who is the girl?" the warrior asked once more, ignoring Ragna's insult. "I can sense the Azure from her..."

"...Figured..." Ragna said. "I don't know. She just showed up out of nowhere."

"I see..." the man said. He reached for his long sword and took it out from its sheath. "Girl...what is your name?"

"...Saya..." she addressed. "It's Saya, Hakumen."

"So you know of me, then..." Hakumen said.

"Well, you are famous for slaying the Black Beast," Saya retorted. "'White Knight'..."

As Hakumen walked towards her, Ragna got in his way.

"Ragna?" Saya asked.

"...What is the meaning of this...?" Hakumen ordered. "For you to help someone...?"

"I'm not gonna just sit by," Ragna retorted. "And let you cream a little girl."

"She is no ordinary girl Ragna the Bloodedge," Hakumen responded. "...you should have realized this..."

_Yeah. For the record, why the hell am I defending her...?_

Ragna glared at Saya.

_Damn it...it's not like 'her'...but more like Noel...Goddamn it, why the hell are they so similar...?_

"Yeah, but if I have to let a girl defend me," Ragna said. "Then I'm not a man, now am I?"

"So you have some chivalry in you," Hakumen said amused. "...Very well...I have a score to settle with you anyway..."

That said, Ragna took out his sword.

"Tao!" Ragna said. "Get Saya away from us, now!"

"Gotcha, Good Guy!" Tao responded. Tao grabbed Saya. "Come on, Funny Lady!"

"What the-!? Hey!" Saya yelled. "Ragna!"

Tao got Saya away from them, allowing Ragna to fight freely.

"Well? Make your move," Ragna said.

"Let us settle this, Black One!" Hakumen yelled.

Ragna and Hakumen held their swords high, and charged at each other.

* * *

"CRITICAL SUPER CRASH!" Bang yelled.

Claude kept his hat in place as he dodged Bang's burning palm strike and got behind him.

"Not bad there Bang," Claude said. "But I'm not that slow!"

Claude struck him from behind by summoning a large cog to ram him with, pushing him forward.

"Guh! A fine strike there, Sir Claude!" Bang said.

"I'm not done yet!" Cluade exclaimed. "Sieg!"

From above, Sieg shot down from the sky and rammed Bang with a flying kick, smashing him into the ground. Sieg teleported back to Claude's side, as Bang got back up.

"Come on, Old Man!" Luna yelled. "Don't let that gay guy beat you!"

"Who're you calling 'gay'!?" Claude yelled back.

"But that Sieg," Carl commented. "He is truly amazing."

"Isn't he?" Claude said with pride. "You still there, Bang!?"

"Of course!" Bang responded. "It is for that reason that I shall go all out!"

"Bring it!" Claude yelled as Sieg got into a fighting stance.

Bnag jumped into the air and threw some nails at Claude, which Sieg blocked, but Bang flowed with a drop kick on Claude, who blocked it with both arms.

"Spiccato!" Claude yelled as Sieg's nails suddenly grew out and spiked Bang, getting him off Claude.

"You said you're fast!?" Claude yelled. "Then keep up with this! Rapido Fortissimo!"

With the command, Sieg jumped into the air and transformed into a sort of fighter jet.

"What's this!?" Bang yelled.

"It can transform!?" Luna yelled.

"Luna...let me see~!" a boy's voice came from Platinum.

"Shut up, Sena!" Luna yelled. "This is getting' good!"

Sieg jetted towards Bang and rammed him at top speed, sending Bang flying into some debris. Sieg flew back to Claude's side, awaiting the next order.

"Impressive," Bang said. "If it's speed you want, then allow me to use my Forbidden Techinique! Fuu-Rin-Ka-Zan!"

Bang suddenly started to glow in a golden light, where it seemed as if time stopped for a moment.

"Your Overdrive huh," Claude said. "Two can play at that game! Overclock!"

Claude lifted his arm into the air, making a similar distortion like Bang just did. At that moment, Sieg started to glow from the openings in his armor and burst with energy.

"They both activated their Overdrives!" Carl exclaimed.

"Oh man! This is gonna be so damn awesome!" Luna said, the excitement rising.

But just as they were going to collide, a loud yell of pure anger interrupted them.

"YOOOUUU DAMMMN SCRUFFFY!" the voice boomed with increasing tone.

"Huh?" Carl asked.

"That voice..." Cluade said. "Could it be!?"

As Claude turned to the direction from where the voice came from, a girl suddenly bulleted from the sky and smashed her fist into Bang's face, making him shoot like a star and into dome debris.

"GUAAAAAGH!?" Bang yelled as he crash-landed.

"What the!?" Carl yelled.

"Hey! It's the other girl!" Sena said.

"Who told you that you could get out!?" Luna yelled.

"Mary!" Claude exclaimed.

The girl named Mary then turned and smashed her fist into his face.

"WHAAA!?" Claude yelped.

"The hell took you so long!?" Mary yelled as she drove Claude into a tree. "I was so damn worried about you while I was stuck with that scruffy old man, and here I find you doing nothin' but fighting an old random scruffy man!? The hell are you doing!?"

As Mary continued her onslaught, Sieg pulled Mary from Claude.

"Let me go, Sieg!" Mary yelled. "I need to teach this asshole a lesson!"

"Calm down Mary!" Claude exclaimed. "Just calm down!"

As Claude was trying to soothe Mary's wrath, Carl was only confused.

"What?" he asked. "Claude, who is this person?"

As Claude managed to not get hit by Mary's foot, he introduced her to Carl.

"Carl," Claude said. "This is my twin sister, Mary."

"Your twin sister!?" Carl exclaimed.

The girl Mary had brown hair and blue eyes, was wearing an orange tank top, and an orange skirt. What was more noticeable was that she had a squirrel tail and ears.

"So you're fraternal twins," Carl assumed. "Hello, my name is Carl Clover."

"Nice to meet ya," Mary said, in a jollier tone than the one she used when pulverizing Claude.

"So, you're a beastkin too?" Carl asked.

"What gave it away," Mary asked coldly suddenly.

"Well, the tail..." Carl tried to say politely.

"Right, since I'm showin' it off like a parade float," Mary retorted. "You got a problem?"

"Of course not," Carl said. "I do have a friend like you, so I don't have any problems. In fact, you should be proud of who you are."

Mary looked a little surprised. Beastkins were the main targets of social out casting, racism, and prejudice due to them possessing traits of animals, while compared with normal humans. Mary then grinned, realizing that Carl wasn't like most people.

"I like you," Mary said. "Well, I guess you have to be..."

"I'm sorry what?" Carl asked.

"Wha-? Oh nothin'!" Mary exclaimed.

Claude glared at Mary, then sighed in relief after she said that.

"Ugh..." Bang moaned. They forgot about him being wiped out by Mary.

"Right! I forgot!" Mary exclaimed. She went over to Bang and started punching him.

"You old scruffy bastard!" she yelled. "How the hell could you leave me behind like that!?"

"Ow! Augh! L-Listen, Miss Mary!" Bang tried to reason with an enraged Mary while trying to dodge her punches. "I do apologize for leaving you behind so suddenly, but if I have not done this, then you would have not reunited with your brother!"

"Oh...all right...you live today scruffy," Mary said. "But next time!"

Bang only laughed as he got up.

"Ah! To be young, such a wonderful thing!" Bang exclaimed. "Isn't that right, Sir Carl?"

"Uh...I guess...?" Carl said uneasily.

"Since we're all headed to Ibukido," Claude suggested. "Why don't we all travel together?"

"An excellent idea, Sir Claude!" Bang exclaimed. "What do you say, Sir Carl?"

"Huh? Well..." Carl said uneasily. Claude patted his back.

"Come on," Claude said. "We're all friends, aren't we?"

Carl looked up at Claude, then smiled.

"Yeah," he said. "Let's go!"

With that in mind, they all headed to Ibukido as a group.

* * *

Relius walked into a laboratory, where in it, a large tank sat there. Inside the tank, there was a girl with white hair floating in the liquid. Outside on a platform, Hazama was lazily watching the girl while eating a plate of boiled eggs.

"Hazama..." Relius said. "No...Terumi..."

Terumi looked at Relius with slit amber eyes while holding up the plate of eggs.

"You want some?" he asked.

"No thanks," Relius said. "I do not crave such bland cuisine."

"Keh! Aren't you a bore," Terumi said as he ate another egg. "So how long 'till the Sword is completed?"

"It's hard to tell at this rate," Relius said. "I would say at best two weeks."

"Tch..." Terumi muttered. "Goddamn it...hurry it up, bitch..."

"You should learn to be patient, Terumi..." Relius advised. "It takes time to reach perfection."

"Well aren't you the perfectionist," Terumi scoffed. "In case you haven't noticed, all of your creations at this point got creamed by Rags. Well if you don't count your bitch."

"Ragna the Bloodedge..." Relius said. "Hmph, what an impudent man."

When she heard the name 'Ragna', the girl started to react violently.

"Rag...na..." the girl murmured.

"...I see that she still has some ties with the Reaper..." Relius said.

"I still don't get what she sees in her," Terumi said. "I'm way more awesome and badass than that piece of shit."

"Everyone has their own taste," Relius stated. "Like how you have the taste of torment and agony."

Terumi put on a maniacal grin.

"I guess you're right there," Terumi replied.

"So this is No. 13," a familiar echoed in the lab.

The two noticed that Envy had entered the lab, along with a red-haired boy around Kain's age, wearing a blue coat, a white collared cloth and white hakama, while sporting green eyes and a cold expression. On his hilt was a katana

"Who's the boy?" Relius asked.

"Oh, he is called Itsuki," Envy introduced. "From now on, he shall be cooperating with our efforts."

"He doesn't seem to be too friendly there," Terumi said.

"I had an accomplice convince him to join us," Envy explained. "I believe she was called 'Phantom'."

"So you used the 'Mind Eater'," Relius said.

"So? Is he strong?" Terumi asked.

"He will prove to be of great use," Envy said. "More than that so-called 'trash collector' Tsubaki Yayoi."

Itsuki reacted to the name Tsubaki.

"Heh! That whore's gonna kill herself off anyway," Terumi said. "Might as well use her 'till she runs out."

Before Terumi could notice, Itsuki already had his sword up to his neck. It glowed like the moonlight.

"...now, Itsuki," Envy said. "You shouldn't kill off your employers."

"He has a point," Terumi growled. "You piece of shit!"

Terumi suddenly kicked Itsuki up into the air with one great upwards kick. Itsuki just landed back on his feets.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Itsuki said coldly. "I'm only cooperating with all of you to hunt down the warrior that I am looking for."

Itsuki put away the sword of moonlight.

"Nothing more," he said. "And nothing less."

"...Itsuki," Envy said. "This is your first mission. Infiltrate Sector Seven."

"Whatever," Itsuki said.

As he walked out of the room, he glared at Terumi.

"And if you ever say anything distasteful of Tsubaki Yayoi," Itsuki threatened. "...that will be your last..."

With that, he left the lab.

* * *

At Sector Seven, Kain was eating a meal with the others, where Iris headed towards him to sit next to him, but Hikari sat where Iris was about to sit.

"Kain," Hikari said sweetly. "How are you doing?"

"Huh? Fine," Kain said. "So how are you and Burai adjusting to Sector Seven?"

"We're doing fine," Hikari answered. "Although there is the problem with Mr. Jin..."

They turned to see Jin, eating by himself in the corner.

"Don't worry about it," Makoto said. "He's always like this."

"Yeah," Burai snickered. "Try experiencing it firsthand."

As they laughed, Hikari ate some of her meal, then got some on her fork.

"Kain," she said kindly. "Try some of this. It tastes good."

"Eh? Sure..." Kain said. Hikari held the fork up to Kain.

"Say 'ahh'," Hikari said as she went on and fed Kain.

"Hey, Kain," Iris interrupted angrily. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

"Huh?" he asked. "Sure."

As Iris sat next to Kain, Hikari muttered something angrily under her breath.

"Must be tough being popular, Kain," Burai teased.

"Huh? What the hell're you talking about?" Kain asked.

"Kain," Hikari said angrily. "How about you try some food that **I **was going to feed you."

"Sure," Kain said.

"Kain," Iris interrupted. "You should try this instead. Its way better than what **she's** feeding you."

"Huh? Um..." Kain murmured.

Kain was in a pinch. Should he choose Iris, or Hikari? As he tried to figure out what to do, Iris and Hikari glared each other so menacingly, that sparks appeared to be flying between them.

"Makoto...?" Noel asked. "What is this?"

"A love triangle?" Makoto answered unsure.

"No, this," Burai explained. "Is what you call a 'field of bloodshed'."

"Well?" the two girls asked.

"Uh..." Kain murmured.

_The hell's going on here? Why do I get the feeling that by choosing either one, I'm gonna get killed?_

As Kain tried to figure out what to do, Jin got up and walked to Kain.

"Kain..." Jin said. "Come with me."

"Huh? Kisaragi?" Kain asked.

"Just come on," Jin retorted as he left. Kain got up and followed him, leaving them. The girls glared at each other, then followed Kain.

"What do you think the Major wants?" Noel asked.

"Maybe he wants to fight Kain!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Oh I gotta see this!" Burai exclaimed.

They all rushed off to catch up with Jin and Kain.

* * *

In a castle with an eternal night.

A girl was enjoying a cup of tea on a table in a garden of roses. Her long blonde twin tails with black ribbons flowed in the wind, as her black dress befitted the night. A cat and a large red bat were beside her as she looked at another girl sitting in front of her. The girl had long purple hair, crimson eyes, and wore a similar black and white dress.

"This is something new," the girl said. "I see that you were telling the truth."

"Why thank you, Madam Rachel," the girl with purple hair addressed. "If I may, I would like to continue my story."

The girl called Rachel smiled as she began to gain interest in the girl.

"I see that your guardian raised you well, Alicia, was it?" Rachel asked.

"I am honored that you remember my name," the girl called Alicia said. "As I was saying..."

"Madam Rachel," an elderly butler addressed. "Would you like some more tea?"

"No thank you, Valkenhayn," Rachel addressed.

The butler, Valkenhayn, smiled as he walked towards Alicia.

"And would you like some more tea?" Valkenhayn asked.

"No thank you," Alicia said. "May I continue?"

"As you wish," Rachel said as she sipped her tea.

"...The presence of one particular person will lead to shifts in the timeline," Alicia explained. "How the person acts will decide whether the future shall lead to everlasting peace, or complete despair."

Rachel's expression became grim as Alicia went on.

"...I have to guess that he has lost all of his memories due to certain circumstances," she explained. "And he will be easily manipulated if he does not have the proper guidance."

"Madam Alicia," Valkenhayn responded. "Just what kind of a threat does this person possess?"

Alicia's expression now became grim, as if she herself didn't want to admit it.

"...the power of the Azure..." Alicia said. "...power of the Azure strong enough to become a new Black Beast. And even more devastating that the last one doesn't even come into comparison."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** Well, looks like Kain's stronger than we thought. And yet again, we have three new OCs make their entrance, and for once, one of them is an enemy being manipulated by Envy. How will they meet?

And since I did this for Kain and the other two, might as well do it for the rest:

Claude

Drive: Sieg Paladin: Claude will summon and control Sieg in battle. Unlike how Carl uses Nirvana to trap the opponent, or how Relius uses Ignis to mixup and pressure the enemy, Claude will use Sieg in terms of firing strong attacks and go for a okizeme stragety.

Overdrive: Overclock: Sieg will become stronger and faster.

I'm not going to explain the drives/overdrives for those who didn't fight yet. Stay tuned!


	8. Chapter 8: Omen

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 8: Omen**

* * *

**AN: **I'm back with Chapter 8. Sorry it took later than usual, I got stuck in a lot of crap do deal with this week. ANyway, we get to see what Kain is **truly** capable of.

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

* * *

_The hell does Kisaragi want with me?_

_All I've heard from him so far was that he was a cold sociopathic asshole._

_So why's he suddenly interested in me?_

_...let's just hope it doesn't lead to something annoying..._

* * *

Kain and Jin entered a large room made with steel walls. Their footsteps echoed throughout the room, as they could even see their own reflections on the walls.

"So?" Kain asked. "What do you want to see me about?"

As Kain looked around, Jin suddenly took out his Yukianesa and struck Kain, who intercepted it with his sword.

"The hell!?" Kain yelled.

"So you do have some skill," Jin commented as he jumped back.

"The hell's going on, Kisaragi!?" Kain yelled. "Don't tell me we're fighting!?"

"You just figured this out?" Jin asked coldly.

"Why do we have to fight!?"

"I want to test your skills."

"Huh!? Why!?"

"Hmph..." Jin scoffed. "I saw your fight against Burai and the girl. Although you did struggle, you did manage to display some impressive skill. And you possess the Azure..."

"And?" Kain asked.

"I want to see what you're made of," Jin said coldly, but with increasing hostility in his tone. "Now prepare yourself!"

"Son of a bitch..." Kain muttered as he prepared himself for battle.

* * *

As the others entered the room, they entered into a bloodbath with Jin and Kain.

"Holy crap!" Makoto exclaimed. "They _are_ fighting!"

The two were clashing blades ferociously as they read each other's moves and dodged each other skillfully.

"Awesome!" Burai exclaimed. "They're both frickin' good!"

Jin shot a sword made of ice, while Kain shot it down with his rifle. Jin then created a large icicle and rode on it towards Kain, while Kain flinged his sword at Jin.

"Musou Hirensou!"

"Strike Inferno!"

After they clashed blades once again, they jumped back, poised for another attack.

"Well, you're pretty good..." Jin said.

"As expected of the Hero of Ikaruga..." Kain said.

"Kain..." Iris said. "He is really strong. And here I am, too weak to help him out..."

Hikari however seemed worried about both Kain and Jin, while Noel seemed to be staring at Kain fighting.

'_What is it about Kain that seems so familiar...?' _Noel thought. _'When he was fighting Burai and Hikari, and now...it's like as if I'm watching Ragna fight...'_

Just the mere thought of Ragna made her blush. Meanwhile, Kain jumped into the air and aimed his rifle at Jin.

"BLOODY RAIN!"

Kain shot down a storm of red energy bullets upon Jin, where he only readied his sword and sliced each and every one down in a flurry of swift slices. Kain then lit his foot on fire, while Jin created a large arrow of ice, aiming it up.

"HELLBOUND!"

"ARROWS OF ICE!"

Kain unleashed his dark fire kick, while Jin launched his arrow, where the two forces collided and created a large explosion of black heat and blue cold.

Kain landed away from Jin, as the two glared at each other.

"So you can put up a true fight," Jin commented. "So why was it that you were almost bested by two amateurs that could only succeed in a hit-and-run tactic?"

"Well," Kain retorted. "It's because of that hit-and-run tactic, that I couldn't land a clean hit, and they double-ganged me at every chance. With their speed, it would be more than likely that they could pull it off."

The sword lit in its black fire once more, as Kain aimed it at Jin.

"But if it was a one-on-one," Kain went on. "Then I'm more focused on one target instead of two. Then I wouldn't have to strain myself."

"I see..." Jin said, smirking interestingly. "But I have one question to ask you."

"What?" Kain asked.

"What connection do you have with Ragna the Bloodedge?" Jin asked. His expression became even grimmer than usual, as Kain only glared at him.

"I don't know," Kain answered. "I'm only looking for him because there's a chance that he has a key to my memories."

"There could be more than that, though," Jin said.

"Huh?" Kain asked.

"You two share a similar style in attire," Jin went on. "Along with weaponry, you both have the Azure, hell, you two even share similar physical features."

He glared at Kain with murderous intent. No one seemed to be noticing it, but his hand started to shake.

"What are you?" Jin asked. "What the hell are you? Who the hell are you!?"

"Mr. Kisaragi?" Makoto asked, while Noel and Iris seemed to look a little scared. Kain only glared at Jin, as he raised up his left arm.

"I am no one, but myself," Kain said. "I don't care who you think I am, I know that I am 'Kain'! Nothing more, nothing less!"

Jin looked rather stunned by Kain's response.

"But if that doesn't satisfy you," Kain continued. "Then let this do it for me! BLOOD OVERLOAD!"

His gauntlet opened up to fuel Kain with the power of the Azure, surrounding him with the power of the Azure. As his eyes turned red, he poised his left arm once more.

"Thanks to me remembering the Azure," Kain said. "I was at least able to remember my moves."

With a deep breathe, his hand suddenly overflowed with dark energy, enveloping it to create a large black arm and claw that reached up to his chest where his heart it. Everyone, especially Jin was completely amazed by Kain's claw.

"Ha..." Jin said. "Hahaha...HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

He started to laugh maniacally with an insane smile, expressing extreme emotions that seem out-of-place for Jin, surprising everyone, while making Noel shudder.

"That's right!" he yelled ecstatically as he readied his katana. "That's how it should be! Now...let's kill each other! 'Brother'!"

Kain looked shocked and confused, but put that aside and ran towards Jin. Jin welcomed the pursuit with a wide and strong slash with his blade, hitting Kain on the chest, but Kain didn't stop and grabbed Jin with the giant claw and lifted him up.

"DARKNESS EATER!" he yelled. The claw looked like fangs as they quickly sunk into Jin, creating a massive tempest of blood, sucking into Kain's arm. The force was so great, that Kain needed to hold it down with his right arm. After a few seconds, Kain slammed Jin on the ground, sending him to the wall with a large wave of dark energy that was born from the claw. The claw reverted back to its original left arm, as all of Kain's wounds healed. Jin was left overwhelmed by the force, while Kain suddenly fainted.

"Kain!" Iris and Hikari exclaimed as they rushed to Kain's side. They checked and found that Kain had fainted from exhaustion.

"That attack must have taken a lot out of him," Tager said.

"Indeed," Hikari said.

"Major! Major!" Noel exclaimed.

They looked to see Makoto and Noel helping up Jin, who was a complete bloody mess.

"Are you alright!? Major!?" Noel exclaimed.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Makoto cried.

Jin didn't answer, for he too was knocked out from the blast.

"Let's get them both to the med lab," Tager suggested.

They carried the two warriors to a medical lab. From afar, through a separate door, a man seemed to have been watching the whole battle.

"Isn't this interesting..." he said. "Looks like this is going to be a great feeding ground, heh heh heh."

* * *

"Dead Spike!"

Ragna drove his sword and flung it up, unleashing an energy shaped like a beast head, headed straight for Hakumen. Hakumen only dodged it and jumped right in front of Ragna.

"Firefly!"

Hakumen diagonally kicked Ragna up, sending him flying.

"You bastard!" he yelled as he recovered in the air. "Belial Edge!"

Ragna brandishes his sword and dropped down towards Hakumen in a stabbing motion. Hakumen only created a barrier that blocked Ragna's assault, and allowed him to grab Ragna and slam him into the ground.

"What's the matter, Black one?" Hakumen taunted. "Why hold back?"

"I'll show you!" Ragna yelled as he tripped Hakumen, then grabbed him and punched him in the gut.

"Hell's Fang!" Ragna dashed toward Hakumen with his hand engulfed in darkness, and extends his other hand and struck at Hakumen, sending him flying. Hakumen only got back on the ground.

"Damn it," Ragna muttered. "Aren't you the annoying ass hole, as always."

"Come now," Hakumen said. "Surely this cannot be the full extent of your powers."

"Of course not!" Ragna retorted. "Why the hell do I need to waste all my energy on this battle, when there's gonna be a whole shitload of them waiting ahead!?"

The two readied their swords, then went in for a close quarter beat up with their blades.

"Whoa!" Tao exclaimed. Saya only watched the battle in awe.

'_So this is a true battle between elites...' _Saya thought. _'And this...is Ragna's power...'_

Ragna and Hakumen both jumped into the air, both aiming for an aerial assault. Hakumen stabbed his sword in the air, while Ragna intercepted it with his sword. Ragna then flung his sword at Hakumen, where he blocked it with his sword.

"Blood Scythe!"

"Agito!"

Ragna changed his sword into a scythe that he slammed on to Hakumen overhead, while Hakumen kicked in a circular motion, intercepting the scythe. The two landed on to the ground.

"Damn it..." Ragna muttered. "This is gonna take us nowhere!"

"Why do you insist on protecting her, Ragna the Bloodedge?" Hakumen asked. "Surely you have realized that she possesses devastating power."

"...Yeah I figured," Ragna said. "...Doesn't matter if she is a Murakumo Unit or possesses the Azure, she's still a girl."

"Since when did you have such a heart?" Hakumen asked mockingly.

"...People can change when they meet people," Ragna only said.

Hakumen only stood silent, but did not put away his sword.

"It is more than that," Hakumen said. "...the girl...she is a key to certain demise of the world."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Ragna asked.

Hakumen did not answer him, but only raised his sword, aiming it at Saya.

"Move..." he only said.

"Like hell I will!" Ragna yelled, defending Saya.

The two charged at each other and slammed their blades at each other. But they soon realized that they didn't clash blades.

"The hell!?"

"What!?"

* * *

They looked to see that a man had stopped both of their attacks with only his arms. The man looked as young as Kain, as he had short white hair, purple eyes, wore a white kimono-like shirt with the sleeves hanging from his shoulders and a black thin hakama with white lining. He had arm plates on his bare arms and wore white gloves. With a jovial and wide grin on his face, he had a large and bulky mechanical sword on his belt, and two sleeker mechanical swords on both sides of his waist.

"Now now there," the man said. "Let's all calm down here."

"Who the hell are you!?" Ragna yelled as he backed off.

"..You again..." Hakumen said coldly as he backed off.

"Now come there, Hakumen," the man said. "You don't have ta be that cold there. I am travelin' with ya'."

"You only follow me on your own," Hakumen shot back. "I never asked for you to come along with me."

"Isn't that harsh," the man said in a jokingly fashion. "Don't worry about the little things!"

"Kidou!" Saya exclaimed happily as she went over to him.

"Yo, Saya," the man called Kidou said. "So this is where ya been."

"You know him?" Ragna asked.

"Yeah," Saya said. "He's my friend. So do you know where everyone else is?"

"No," Kidou said. "I don't know where in hell the others are."

"Oh," Saya said rather disappointed.

"Don't worry," Kidou reassured Saya, keeping his jovial grin. "They'll be alright."

Saya smiled again from Kidou's comfort, while Ragna was only bewildered and angered at Kidou.

_What the hell was that!? What is this kid!? He was able to stop both my and the masked bitch's attack with his bare hands!_

As Ragna looked bewildered at Kidou, Kidou noticed and smiled.

"So, yer' Ragna the Bloodedge, eh?" Kidou asked.

"...Yeah," Ragna said. "And you're this brat's friend?"

"Yep."

"Good," Ragna said. "Then can you take her off my hands? Honestly, I'm not gonna deal with her. I don't need any more freeloaders on my trip!"

"Mew?" Tao asked from behind. "What's a freeloader?"

"Someone who eats other people's food nonchalantly," Ragna shot back. "When they didn't even do nothing but chase damn butterflies half of the time!"

Tao still didn't get it, making Ragna groan in everlasting stress. But Kidou shook his head.

"Sorry there, Reaper," Kidou said. "I think it be best if Saya continues ta travel with you."

"What!?" Ragna yelled. "Why the hell is that!? Why can't you just take her!?"

"No can do," Kidou said. "I'm on my own agenda, and it requires Hakumen's help."

"What agenda?" Saya asked.

"You don't need to worry about it," Kidou replied. "All you need ta worry about is findin' yer' prince charming brother."

Saya started to become flustered as Kidou snickered.

"She has a brother?" Ragna asked.

"Yep," Kidou asked. Ragna took notice to Saya's embarrassed expression when Kidou mentioned her brother.

"So, you like your bro a lot," Ragna said. "Don't you?"

Saya became even redder as she continued to think about her brother.

_Damn it...so she's a brother-lusting freak too...well...I guess she ought to be better than Jin..._

"But that still doesn't explain why you can't just take her with you," Ragna protested.

"Ragna the Bloodedge," Kidou said. "This is more of a personal request. Please protect her in place of me and her brother." His tone was more serious compared to his jovial tone a few seconds ago.

"Why?" Ragna asked.

"I believe," Kidou answered. "That Saya will trust ya more than me."

"And why's that?"

"I can't tell you just yet," Kidou replied, using his jovial teasing voice. "Don't want ta give away some spoilers, just yet."

Confused, Ragna just glared at Kidou in frustration.

"Please," Kidou said, using his serious tone. "Protect Saya."

After seeing Kidou's expression, Ragna only groaned.

"...She better not screw me over," he replied. Saya and Kidou looked rejoiced.

"Thanks Ragna!" Saya exclaimed happily. Ragna looked a little astonished at Saya's expression.

_For a second there...I just thought I saw a bit of Noel in her...must be my imagination..._

"You have my thanks, Ragna," Kidou said.

"Just one thing," Ragna said.

"Yeah?"

"...How does she use the Murakumo?" Ragna asked in a more serious tone.

"...As expected..." Kidou replied. "You managed to figure it out. But unfortunately, she has her own 'circumstances', thus she can't use her Murakumo Unit just yet."

"'Circumstances'?" Ragna asked suspiciously.

"I'll explain them another time," Kidou said. "It'll be too complicated."

Ragna still eyed Kidou suspiciously, but left it as that.

"Whatever," he said. "Can she at least fight without it?"

"To my knowledge, yes," Kidou replied.

"Fine."

Ragna turned to leave.

"Come on, you two," Ragna replied coldly. "We need to get to Ibukido ASAP."

Saya rejoiced as she and Tao followed Ragna, leaving Kidou and Hakumen by themselves.

"...Are you sure that was wise?" Hakumen asked Kidou. "Ragna the Bloodedge could only make things worse,

"I trust that Ragna can keep Saya from becoming the heart," Kidou replied. "...Those siblings have already suffered enough...I'll make sure that they see their home again...this I swear."

Kidou had a more grim expression on his face, then headed on elsewhere.

"...And pray tell," Hakumen requested. "What is your motive?"

"...I need to find one more person..." Kidou said. "Let's just hope that my 'worst-case scenario' isn't the truth..."

* * *

At the castle, Rachel and Valkenhayn were shocked by what Alicia told them.

"So there is another who can become the Black Beast?" Valkenhayn asked Alicia.

"Yes," Alicia said. "And this new Black Beast is nothing compared to the old one."

"...If this boy is the body," Rachel asked. "Then who is the heart?"

"...there are only two possible," Alicia explained. "They are his siblings, and they can only become the heart through great emotional shifts, along with his shift to the Black Beast body."

"His siblings?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, Saya and Akira, Kain's little siblings" Alicia explained. "Well, for now, unless Kain fell in love with someone else, we shouldn't have to worry about her. But Akira...no one knows what happened to him."

"My, doesn't this look familiar..." Rachel commented as she sipped her tea.

"I can probably persuade Saya from losing it," Alicia said. "But as long as Akira is missing, we must be cautious."

Alicia looked worried, while Valkenhayn offered her another cup of tea, which she accepted politely.

"...Is there any way to prevent this from happening?" Valkenhayn asked.

"It is up to them," Alicia answered. "I cannot foresee the events of the future."

"...Alicia..." Rachel said. "Do you wish for Kain to go down this role?"

"Of course not!" Alicia exclaimed with a sudden burst of emotion, but quickly calmed herself down. "It's just that...those siblings have been through many grieves and pains in their lives because of their powers. It wouldn't be surprising for her to wish to become the Black Beast alongside Kain."

"And what about Kain?" Rachel asked.

"I am confident that Kain will not desire to become the Black Beast," Alicia beamed. "He has proven that you can still pursue hope, despite anything that you face."

"From how you are saying it," Valkenhayn said. "It seems that this Kain fellow has suffered the most, has he not?"

"...Unfortunately, yes..." Alicia said sadly. "...No matter where you are, society is still the same..."

The wind blew past them, as petals flew up into the everlasting moon.

"Alicia," Rachel asked. "What is your wish?"

Alicia looked confused at Rachel's question, then thought about it hard.

"...My only wish..." Alicia answered. "Is to see Kain happy."

She started to blush a little.

"What an honest girl," Rachel said. "As a reward for successfully pleasuring me with your acquaintance, I shall help you with your quest. Be grateful."

"Thank you very much, Madam Rachel!" Alicia exclaimed.

"But first," Rachel said as she snapped her fingers. "Valkenhayn, fight her."

"As you wish Madam Rachel," Valkenhayn replied, no questions asked.

"Madam Rachel?" Alicia asked confused.

"This quest of yours will most likely have you face off against the NOL," Rachel said. "I must see whether you have the potential to fight or not."

"...I see..." Alicia said, then grinned. "Then I accept your challenge."

"A very polite girl," Rachel said while smirking. "Valkenhayn. There is no need to hold back. Give her everything you have."

"As you wish," Valkenhayn said. "Let us see what you can do, Madam Alicia!"

As Valkenhayn charged at Alicia, she only waved her arms, as two screens of shadow blocked Valkenhayn's attacks.

"I may not be as good as the others," Alicia said. "But I should be able to at least put up a decent fight."

* * *

Jin suddenly woke up to find himself in an infirmary in Sector Seven.

"What...?" he asked as he tried to get up, but the pain from his battle with Kain got the best of him. "Gah!"

He fell back on the bed.

"Damn...what happened?" Jin asked.

"It was a draw," a voice answered.

Jin turned to see Kain was in a bed next to him.

"You..." Jin said.

"Don't give me that uptight crap now," Kain interrupted. "We both ended up knocking each other out, so there was no winner. That makes us equals at the very least."

"You only knocked yourself out," Jin scoffed. "You can't become truly powerful if you can't even control your own power."

Kain groaned.

"But..." Jin went on. "You did manage to defeat me, I will give you that...impressive..."

Kain looked up.

"Did you just compliment me?" Kain asked astonished.

"Don't push it," Jin retorted. "Just because I hold you at a higher level compared to the others, doesn't mean you can get cocky with me."

"Whatever," Kain said as he laid back on his bed. "Wait a minute, does that mean you consider me a friend?"

"Keep dreaming," Jin shot back. "But I do recognize you as a worthy adversary. You and Burai."

"You mean the ninja?" Kain asked. "I thought you didn't like him."

"I have my reasons," Jin only said.

"Fine," Kain said. "...Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What?" Jin asked coldly.

"Is Ragna your brother?" Kain asked, surprising Jin.

"How did you know?" Jin asked suspiciously.

"Well, before I blacked out, I remember you yelling 'Brother!' like a crazy homosexual," Kain said, even going as far as mimicking Jin's voice when he yelled 'brother'. "And since even you admitted that I looked like Ragna, I figured Ragna is at least your brother."

Jin looked a little embarrassed.

"Why do you want to kill him?" Kain asked.

"Excuse me?" Jin asked.

"Why do you want to kill him?" Kain asked once more. "I mean, he's your **brother** for damn sake. Don't you like him?"

"I do love him," Jin replied only.

"Then why kill him?" Kain asked persistently.

Indeed, why? Is what Jin thought. It was only his sole desire to kill his brother Ragna, ever since he reunited with him back at Kagutsuchi. But what was his motivation for it? Was it for revenge for neglecting him for their sister? Was it the Power of the Order that tells him to slay the 'evil'? Or was it for the pure and utter sensation and ecstasy that came with killing his own brother. He had never truly thought of why he wanted to slay his own blood brother.

"...I don't know..." Jin said. "It just comes to me..."

Kain decided to leave it as that and lifted his hand to Jin.

"What are you doing?" Jin asked.

"Even if we're not friends," Kain said. "Doesn't mean we can't honor a good fight. And maybe I can become your friend, someday."

Jin looked a little surprised, but smirked and then returned the handshake.

"Very well," Jin said, with a little accomplishment in his voice.

"That's the spirit," Kain said with some pride.

Just then, Makoto barged into the room with Noel, iris and Hikari.

"Mr. Kisaragi! Kain!" she exclaimed. "How're you guys doin'!?"

"...Just fine..." Jin said, quickly pulling back the hand.

"Kain? Are you alright?" Iris asked.

"Yeah," Kain said. "I'm just fine."

"Are you sure?" Hikari asked, worried. "You seemed to be really exhausted back there."

"I'm fine," Kain said. "Really."

The two girls looked worried, as Kain felt around for his sword.

"Huh? Hey, where's the Laevateinn?" Kain asked.

"Kokonoe is examining it," Tager said as he entered the room. "She wanted to know how it was able to withstand all of that seithr."

"I see," Kain said.

"Seriously?" Jin asked. "You're calling it that?"

"Hey, watch it, Jin," Kain warned him.

"But the sword," Jin said. "It does look like Brother's 'Blood-Scythe'..."

"'Blood-Scythe'?" Kain asked. "What's tha–?"

Suddenly, Kain writhed in pain as he fell to the bed.

"Kain!?" Hikari cried. "What's happening!?"

"Don't tell me..." Iris said. "He's remembering something!?"

They all looked worried at Kain, who only continued to struggle in the pain, where he started to hear some static noise.

_Is this...!?_

* * *

_A vision started to play in his head. A boy seemed to be running away from something._

_What? What's going on?_

_Yet again, he couldn't move. He could only watch the events. The boy ran with all of his strength in the woods. From behind, several howls could be heard._

"_Come on!" the boy yelled, panicking. "Where are you!? Mom! Dad!"_

_As he tripped on a root, he looked behind and saw several feral wolves chasing him. They managed to catch up to the boy and surround him. A cut was made into the boy's arm, as the wolves seemed to enjoy the scent of his blood._

"_Oh no...!" the boy said. "Mom...Dad...please help me!"_

_The wolves started to attack the boy._

"_AAAAAAAUGH!" the boy cried. But just before they could touch him, they flinched and backed off._

"_H-huh?" the boy asked._

_Before he realized it, the blood that spilled from the boy's arm suddenly gathered into an orb that floated in front of him. After glowing in a blue light, the blood shined in a bright light. After it was over, it was no longer an orb of blood or light, but a sword of red and silver steel._

"_What...is that...?" the boy asked. "It looks like..."_

_The sword seemed to be beckoning to him._

"_...Blood-Scythe..." the boy said. "...Telos! Lend me your power!"_

_The boy grabbed the handle with no hesitation, and held the sword with both hands. The wolves flinched, but attacked. The boy managed to swing the sword and slash down all the wolves with one fell sweep. The sheer weight and force made the boy exhausted._

"_What...is this...?" the boy asked, the exhaustion getting to him._

"_Kain!" the voice of a man called out. The boy looked up to see a man and a woman, along with a boy and a girl younger than him racing towards him_

"_Brother!" the two children exclaimed as they ran to him._

"_Saya...Akira..." the boy said as they embraced him while crying._

"_We were so worried about you, Brother!" Akira bawled._

"_Please don't ever leave us again!" Saya cried._

_The boy only smiled and patted their heads._

"_We're so glad you're okay," the woman said. "We're so sorry for not protecting you..."_

"_It's okay Mom," the boy said. "But I was saved when that weird sword appeared out of nowhere!"_

"_Weird sword?" the man asked._

_The boy pointed to the sword that sat on the ground by his side, which made the man look surprised._

"_Blood-Scythe!?" the man exclaimed. "Wait...it's different?"_

"_It just appeared out of my blood and helped me," the boy explained innocently._

"_Don't tell me..." the woman said. "Is this a Nox Nyctores!?"_

"_No, it can't be..." the man said. "Even with all the new ones, there isn't anything about a Nox like this...hell it doesn't even feel like a Nox!"_

"_What's a Nox Nyc-toro?" the boy asked._

"_We'll tell you when you get older," the woman said, rubbing her children's heads._

"_For now," the man suggested. "We should see Kokonoe..."_

_Kokonoe? Wait, I know her? And the woman...she looks like..._

_The vision started to fade again._

* * *

"Ugh..." Kain moaned.

He got back up on his bed, confused.

"Kain?" Iris asked. "Are you alright?"

"Y...yeah..." Kain muttered.

"Did you remember something?" Noel asked, sparking Hikari's and Burai's attention. Kain looked at Noel with a more surprised look.

"Yeah..." Kain said. "I could have sworn that I saw you in there..."

Everyone looked shocked, exempting Hikari and Burai, who seemed more concerned with his memory gain.

"So you did remember something!?" Hikari frantically asked.

"What was it!? What did you remember!?" Burai exclaimed. "Are you back to normal!?"

As the two continued to pester the weakened Kain, Iris pushed them back.

"Give him some space!" Iris yelled angrily. "Can't you two see he's tired!?"

They were all stunned by Iris' anger, which seemed out of character for her.

"Iris..." Kain said. "Thanks..."

As Kain got back up, he found his sword lying next to him and picked it up.

"Blood Scythe Telos..." Kain said to himself. "...I guess I'll still call it 'Laevateinn'..."

"Kain?" Iris asked.

"It's nothing," Kain said.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Kokonoe's lab, Kokonoe was working on some documents on her computer while Jubei was looking around the lab.

"You got yerself a pretty good lab here, Kokonoe," Jubei said.

"Don't touch anything," she shot back. "I'm the one who has to clean up your mess here."

Jubei seemed to look uneasy, as Kokonoe just stared at the computer screen as she worked. Jubei tried to think of a way to converse with Kokonoe. Like a father trying to make a conversation with their estranged child.

"So..." he said uneasily. "...H...How've you been lately...?"

"Pretty normal," Kokonoe only answered blankly. "Ever since you begged me to fix Ragna's arm, I've done well, I guess."

"Oh...I see..." Jubei replied, trying to think of a subject to talk about.

"Look, if you're just going to just stand there like a damn plastic dummy," Kokonoe growled annoyed. "then get the hell out."

"Whoa, I didn't raise you to get a potty mouth like that," Jubei shot back.

"Heh! I don't remember you raising me," Kokonoe only retorted. "You stuck around for a few years and then left me after Mother was killed by–"

"Don't you dare bring that issue up again!" Jubei yelled. Kokonoe was unphased by his anger, while Jubei tried to calm down.

"...Why the hell did you leave me?" Kokonoe asked.

"...I had to train Ragna..." Jubei answered.

"Really? You _had_ to?" Kokonoe asked. "Or was it just an excuse so that you didn't have to deal with me?"

"I wanted to see you again, Kokonoe!" Jubei protested. "You're my daughter! I couldn't just let Ragna die!"

"So someone else's kid has more priority than your own flesh and blood...is that it!?" Kokonoe asked, her voice rising.

"It isn't like that!" Jubei yelled. "I just needed to train Ragna so he knew how to use the Azure properly!"

"Why couldn't you just let someone else do it!?" Kokonoe yelled.

"No one else could have done it!"Jubei protested. "If I didn't see him though, then Ragna will have become the new Black Beast! I can't allow that to happen!"

"Why? For the sake of some old friendship? Of someone who's **dead**?" Kokonoe tauntingly asked.

"I couldn't let Ragna become somethin' of pure destruction and hate!" Jubei shot back. "And furthermore, you shouldn't be the one talkin'! I heard from Hakumen about the damn nuclear bombs!"

"Tch...that asshole..." Kokonoe muttered.

"Why would you use something; that vile against him!?" Jubei demanded. "Those things'll cause nothin' more than pre unnecessary destruction!"

"Well then, I just recently found out," Kokonoe said. "That there's a chance I won't have to use those nukes, so be glad for a damn change."

"You mean Kain?" Jubei asked.

Kokonoe perked an ear.

"Figured you would be able to figure it out," she said.

"You really think that I'm gonna not notice?" Jubei asked sarcastically. "Anyway, don't you dare use an innocent bystander as a weapon!"

"He's anything but innocent," Kokonoe shot back. "You should have sensed his power. If he can harness it properly, then he can kill practically anyone. Even Terumi."

"As the Black Beast?" Jubei asked. "I'm not gonna let you manipulate him to become that!"

Kokonoe grinded her teeth and angrily glared at Jubei.

"Oh shut up!" she yelled. "You don't have a right to tell me what to do now! After these years having to survive on my own...I can handle myself! I don't need you to show up after 20 years and tell me what to do!"

Kokonoe returned to her work, leaving a speechless Jubei to look guilty for indeed leaving her for 20 years.

"I know I don't have a right to tell you what to do after all these years," Jubei said. "But you're still my precious daughter! And I don't want ya' to go down the wrong path!"

"Aren't you angry at all!?" Kokonoe yelled. "That bastard killed Mother! She was your wife! Don't you feel that you gotta take revenge!?"

"Do you honestly think that your mother would want to see her daughter like this!?" Jubei shot back.

There was a heavy aura in the air. As either of them were about to say something, Kain suddenly entered the lab.

"Yo, Kokonoe!" Kain said. "Can you look at the Lae..."

He didn't finish his sentence due to the harsh feeling in the air.

"Kokonoe?" Kain asked. "Did I walk into something...?"

"No..." Kokonoe managed to say calmly as she returned to her work. "It's nothing."

"Well, I better take my leave," Jubei said, getting ready to leave.

"You have to go somewhere?" Kain asked.

"Yep," Jubei answered. "Don't worry, it won't take long."

"'Kay then," Kain said.

"Yeah and good riddance!" Kokonoe exclaimed as Jubei headed for the door. "...just be careful, at least...old man..."

As Jubei was about to open the door, he heard Kokonoe's last remark, smiled, and then left.

"...Was that your dad?" Kain asked.

"Pretty much," Kokonoe said.

"...How...?" Kain asked.

"Don't ask," Kokonoe only answered. "Everyone else is leaving it as that."

"Okay then," Kain said. "Hey Kokonoe, can you run a test on the Laevateinn? I want to see if–"

Then suddenly, a large earthquake of some sort interrupted Kain.

"What was that!?" Kain exclaimed.

Kokonoe checked the security camera outside, and saw someone was out in the front gate.

"The hell!?" Kokonoe yelled. "Someone's attacking Sector Seven!"

Kain looked at the screen and saw who the person was.

"...Get everyone out to the gate..." Kain said.

"Agreed," Kokonoe said. "This is gonna involve them."

* * *

As everyone gathered outside, they saw that the person was none other than Tsubaki.

"TsubakI!?" Noel, Makoto and Jin exclaimed.

Kain, Tager and Burai went out to face her, while Hikari looked very scared and worried.

"The hell's the meaning of this, Yayoi?" Kain asked as he took out his sword. "Why are you attacking Sector Seven by _yourself_?"

"So you were here..." Tsubaki said. She sounded more malevolent than ever.

"Wait, how did you know we were here?" Kain asked.

* * *

From afar, Envy was sitting on a tree, watching the event.

"Now then..." he said. "Let us see the moment of truth..."

He held his hand and fidgeted his fingers, as if he was playing with a puppet.

* * *

Kain went to protect Iris from Tsubaki.

"So you're both here," Tsubaki said. "Perfect..."

She readied her sword and book shield as she approached them, only to be stopped by Noel and Makoto.

"What're you doing, Tsubaki!?" Makoto exclaimed. "Snap out of it!"

"Out of my way..." she only said, as she slammed her blade at Makoto, pushing her aside.

"Makoto!" Noel cried. "Tsubaki! Please stop this!"

Tsubaki then proceeded to kick Noel out-of-the-way.

"Noel!" Kain exclaimed. "The hell are you doing!? First you attack your subordinate, then you hurt your friends!?"

As she made her way, this time Jin got in her way.

"What are you doing?" Jin asked her. "Why would you hurt your friends like this?"

"They're siding with **them**," Tsubaki only said. "They are willingly supporting a traitor and an accomplice to Ragna the Bloodedge. If you are going to side with them, then even if it is Jin, then I will have to recognize you as an enemy."

"...Tsubaki," Jin said sadly. "You are truly 'blind'..."

Without warning, Tsubaki slashed at Jin strongly. Jin managed to block it with Yukianesa, but given his beaten body, the force was too much for his pained body to handle, as it pushed him away. Jin tried to get back up, but the pain bested him.

"Now then..." Tsubaki said.

Tsubaki dashed towards Kain and slammed her foot into him, sending him flying into a wall.

"Kain!" everyone cried.

Kain tried to get up, but he too was beaten up, so he couldn't win against the pain. He looked up and saw Tsubaki, ready to end his life.

"You shall be punished for your crimes against the Imperator," Tsubaki said coldly. "Do you have any last words?"

Iris looked mortified as Tsubaki glared at Kain.

"...Bite...me..." he managed to say. "If you...can't even...distinguish friend from foe...then you're nothing but a pile of trash..."

"...Farewell..." Tsubaki said as she was about to slash Kain down.

But just before she could do so, iris managed to muster up all of her strength, and ran at Tsubaki.

"NOOOOOOO!" she yelled as she rammed into her.

"!? Iris!?" Kain yelled.

"Tch! Rebelling fly!" Tsubaki muttered.

Tsubaki got back up, kicked Iris, and then proceeded to slash her down.

"You deserve no salvation anymore," Tsubaki said.

"Iris!" Noel cried.

Kain was wide-opened as Tsubaki slashed Iris down. At the sight of the action caused Kain to be filled with pure and utter rage.

"...You...bitch..." he muttered.

As Tsubaki turned to Kain, he got back up. His left arm was sparking black energy violently.

"YOU BITCH!" Kain screamed as he activated the Azure.

Kain's tempest of anger, sorrow, and hate led to a blood-curdling scream, as the Azure reacted violently. The energy wrapped Kain's entire body into a black beastly armor. Soon, Kain was completely embedded in the armor, his left arm now turned into the claw of Darkness, his feet now covered in a three-toed foot, a large black tail grew from his rear as well as two large claw-shaped wings, and his right arm along with the Blood-Scythe became that of a large head of a beast. His head now covered in the armor, only showed two rhombus-like holes, revealing black and bloodshot red eyes. The form left everyone shocked and mortified.

"K...Kain...?" Noel asked.

"What!?" Jin exclaimed. "The Azure...It went berserk?!"

Burai and Hikari was shuttering crazily, as they backed up and tripped on their feet.

"GGRRRRRAAAAAAAAUUUUGH!" Kain screeched, making even the ground around him bounce up into the sky. The cry could be heard from around the globe.

* * *

"Hahahahahahahahaahaha!" Envy boomed from afar. "Such power! Such beautiful and devastating power! Hard to believe that it's still 'incomplete'!"

He continued his maniacal laugh as he continued to watch Kain's descent to his beastly form.

"No...With the heart, just imagine the possibilities...!" Envy said. "with the heart...Kain can become the greatest killing machine! No one can even come into comparison to him!"

Envy boomed into the sky.

"Now! Kill those who make you suffer! Slaughter those who belittle you! Make all who deny you suffer! Make all who fear you and shun you cry! Drop everyone who has ever treated you as an outcast to despair!" Envy practically screeched. "With the descent of the Azure, the Paradigm shall tell the world who its true master is! Hahaha...AAAAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN: **And apparently Kain can become the Black Beast (incomplete, maybe but still) when he gets seriously pissed. And with Kidou, that will be all the OCs that will appear unless something happens. Let's see how everyone in Sector Seven will deal with Black Beast Kain and we introduce some more BB cast members. See ya next time!


	9. Chapter 9: Black of Calamity

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 9: Black of Calamity**

* * *

**AN: **Here's Chapter 9 to Chrono Paradigm! This chapter seems a bit shorter than compared to the rest, but I'm confident that the battle makes up for it.

_TEXT=people's though_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_Kill..._

_I'll kill her..._

_I'll kill every one of them!_

_How dare she hurt her!_

_I – Grrrauuuugh!_

_...Everyone...deserves to die!_

* * *

On the front area, stood the figure that was once Kain. Now, all there was only a black monster-like figure, with large claw like wings, a long tail, and a long head of an even more malevolent monster as a right arm.

"Kain...?" Noel asked.

"What is this...?" Jin asked.

"Damnit..." Kokonoe said from Noel's transceiver. "He awakened his powers!"

"Wait...you know of this!?" Jin yelled to Kokonoe.

There was no response back from the transceiver.

"Answer me!" Jin yelled.

"...You better get her out of there," Kokonoe only said. "For all I know, you all better get out of there. No one is safe from him, now."

Jin suddenly realized that Tsubaki was Kain's main target because she hurt Iris.

"GAAAAAH!" Kain screamed as he charged at Tsubaki and rammed her into a tree. The speed of his movement was so fast, no one could keep track of him.

"Gaha!" she yelped.

"Tsubaki!" Jin cried.

Kain backed up a little and glared at Tsubaki, giving her a chance to strike at Kain, which she used.

"Take this!" she yelled as she swung her blade at Kain's neck. Although it did make a cut, it just healed itself within seconds. Frightened. Tsubaki panicked and swung her blade randomly.

"Stop, Tsubaki!" Noel and Makoto cried.

But it was too late. Kain grabbed the blade with his left claw, engulfing Tsubaki's arm in a dark energy that connected it to his arm. Kain then proceeded to fling his arm, along with Tsubaki to the ground, severely injuring her. He then proceeded to fling her around like a rag doll until she separated from the claw.

"Tsubaki!" they cried.

"Tager! Get everyone out of there now!" Kokonoe ordered.

"Roger!" Tager responded. "Everyone, we must retreat!"

"What!?" Makoto yelled. "We can't just leave them here!"

"Do you honestly think that any of you can take him in that state!?" Kokonoe yelled. "Get back here, now!"

As Kain approached Tsubaki, her expression filled with pure fear as she backed away from him.

"Get away from me!" Tsubaki cried. "You monster!"

Hearing 'monster', Kain let out a blood-curdling scream and attempted to jab Tsubaki with his large monster head sword.

"Optic Barrel!"

A gunshot interrupted Kain's attack. He turned to see Noel, Jin and Makoto ready to fight him.

"What!?" Tager exclaimed.

"What the hell are you idiots doing!?" Kokonoe yelled.

"We won't leave them!" Makoto protested.

"What!?" Kokonoe said.

"Please! Kain!" Noel exclaimed. "Snap out of it!"

"That isn't gonna work on him!" Kokonoe yelled. "All of you get back here–"

"Woman..." Jin interrupted. "If you are not going to help, then don't interfere! You obstacle!"

Jin grabbed the transceiver and broke it.

"Major Kisaragi..." Noel said.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Jin said. "I just want to save Tsubaki."

Jin took out his Yukianesa and pointed it at Kain. Tager joined up with them.

"Tager?" Noel asked.

"At this rate," Tager said. "It would be more effective and logical to try to stop him than try to force all of you back to Sector Seven."

Tager had his transceiver on.

"Do you copy? Kokonoe?" Tager asked.

"...whatever happens..." Kokonoe said. "It isn't my fault..."

Tager smiled as Noel and Makoto rejoiced.

"As I recall," Jin said to Kain. "We ended in a draw. Let's settle the score, shall we?"

"We'll save you," Noel said. "Both you and Tsubaki. So..."

"Just sit tight and leave it to us!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Everyone..." Tsubaki said.

Kain let out another screech as he assaulted the group.

* * *

Back at her castle, moments before Kain's outburst, Rachel was supervising Valkenhayn's and Alicia's battle.

"My my," Rachel said. "Isn't this interesting."

"That girl is keeping up with Valkenhayn," a black cat next to Rachel commented.

"She's amazing!" a red pudgy bat flying next to her said.

"Nago, Gii, be quiet," Rachel said, hitting both of them on the head. "You must not interrupt a battle like this."

"Nacht Jäger!" Valkenhayn yelled as he charged at Alicia with his legs changed into those of a wolf. Alicia only dodged it elegantly, while Valkenhayn prepared his next move.

"Schwarz Jagd!" Valkenhayn followed up with a low kick in his wolf leg, tripping Alicia, but she soon got back up and made a comeback.

"Schatten Greif!" Alicia summoned a gryphon made of shadows to strike at Valkenhayn. Valkenhayn dodged it and transformed into a wolf. He snarled as he dashed towards Alicia.

"Schwarz Loch," Alicia commanded. A black hole appeared behind her, where she jumped in and evaded Valkenhayn's attack. The hole quickly disappeared and reappeared behind Valkenhayn, where Alicia came out of it unharmed.

"Very impressive, Madam Alicia," Valkenhayn complimented. "Such an extraordinary power."

"Why thank you," Alicia said. Her shadow started to shoot out of her and attack Valkenhayn, but the elderly butler was too quick for the shadow to touch him. "As expected from one of the Six Heroes."

"This is not over just yet!" Valkenhayn exclaimed. "STRUM WOLF!"

Valkenhayn's head became a werewolf head and attacked Alicia, she blocked it, but must now deal with a barrage of Valkenhayn's quick and brutal attacks.

"VERRUCKT NARR!"

Once Valkenhayn finished with his barrage, Alicia quickly summoned a large creäture made from shadows, sporting a large sickle and a top hat, as it assaulted Valkenhayn. Alicia used the opening to make her next move.

"Lachelnd Katze!" Alicia then summoned a black smiling cat that rammed into Valkenhayn, making him vulnerable to the hatter's last strike. It flung its sickle hard on to Valkenhayn, causing great damage.

"Well done!" Valkenhayn said.

But as they continued their battle, they both suddenly stopped. A chill of dread ran through both people, as a faint cry of agony could be heard.

"What in the–!?" Valkenhayn exclaimed.

Alicia had a grim look on her face as she opened up another hole.

"...Just as I feared..." Alicia said.

She showed the hole to Rachel and Valkenhayn. A vision started to show, and they saw Kain's Black Beast form, fighting Noel, Makoto, Jin, and Tager.

"!? That's...!?" Rachel exclaimed.

"The Black Beast...!?" Valkenhayn exclaimed.

"Now do you see what I mean?" Alicia asked. "That this Black Beast is more devastating than the last one? Our only luck is that it is incomplete and is lacking a heart."

"...Is there any way to save the lad?" Valkenhayn asked.

"Unfortunately..." Alicia said. "Once he's become like this, our only best option is to hope that he tires himself out before he kills them."

They saw into the hole. Alicia seemed to look the most worried of them all.

"...Let's see how those children do..." Rachel said. "Shall we..."

* * *

On the path to Ibukido, Platinum stopped suddenly. A faint cry could be heard.

"What was that?" Carl asked.

"I do not know..." Bang said. "? Miss Platinum? What is the matter?"

She was shuttering suddenly.

"...This feeling..." Platinum said, in a tone that belonged to neither Luna nor Sena. "It can't be..."

Mary and Claude also seemed to be shuttering a little.

"Claude...!" Mary exclaimed. He nodded in response.

"Kain..." Claude said. "...Please don't kill anyone..."

* * *

On Kidou's path, a faint cry stopped both Kidou and Hakumen.

"Impossible...!" Hakumen exclaimed. "This feeling is...!"

"...Kain..." Kidou said.

* * *

On Ragna's path, they all stopped after a faint cry was heard.

"What...the hell...?" Ragna asked. "The hell is this!?"

"Good Guy..." Tao whimpered. "Tao's scared..."

"Yo, Saya!" Ragna yelled. "Do you know any–!?"

He turned to Saya, but she was already full of fear. Tears were already falling from her eyes.

"Saya...?" he asked.

"No...it can't be..." she murmured. "...Brother..."

* * *

Back at Sector Seven, the four engaged into battle against Kain, or now the Black Beast.

"Asteroid Vision!"

Makoto made three clones of herself and charged at Kain. He attacked the two clones near him, but they vanished, leaving the real Makoto above him, charging her tonfa.

"Lightning Arrow!"

Makoto dunk punched Kain in the head, smashing him into the ground. As he got up, Noel was already racing towards her with two pistols.

"Let's begin," Noel said. She started to assault Kain with a barrage of gunslinger attacks, which Kain managed to keep up, until Noel tripped Kain with her last move.

"Spring Raid!" Noel flash kicked Kain, sending him into the air.

"Tager!" Noel exclaimed.

Kain looked up to see Tager in the air. He grab Kain and flung him to the ground. He landed near Kain and picked him up.

"Gadget Finger!" Tager magnetized Kain and dropped him, then aimed for a punch while he was down. "Take this!" Tager yelled.

Kain tried to dodge it, but the punch produced magnetism, sucking Kain to the knuckle. Kain crashed through the tree. Tager charged energy into his chest.

"Spark Bolt!" Tager launched the orb at Kain at high-speed. Kain charged energy in his right head.

"Greed Buster!"

He shot the energy at the Spark Bolt, managing to block it out. Before Kain could realized it, Jin got behind him and brandished his katana in midair.

"Hizansen!"

He slashed an aerial battoujutsu slash behind Kain, bringing him down to his knees.

"Even if he is the Black Beast," Noel said. "He isn't used to his new body..."

"Maybe we can do this!" Makoto exclaimed.

'_No...Something isn't right...'_ Jin thought. _'Even if he's not used to his new body, he should still have enough skill to at least evade all of this...unless...'_

Kain got back up and glared at the group.

"You idiots!" Kokonoe yelled.

"Huh? Kokonoe?" Makoto asked.

"He's learning all of your movements!" Kokonoe yelled.

Kain suddenly dashed at Makoto and rammed at her. As she rolled back, she tried to go for a counterattack.

"Asteroid Vision!"

Makoto created three clones of herself and went for another ambush, but Kain turned his monster arm into a large sword and thrusted it up, hitting all three clones at the same time. He hit Makoto, who was at the ground, sending her up into the air. Kain then proceeded to shoot down Makoto with his energy blaster. At all the attacks, a stream of energy seemed to come out of Makoto and absorbed into Kain.

"Kyaa!" Makoto cried as she crashed into the wall.

"Makoto!" Noel exclaimed. But before she could realize it, Kain was already in front of her.

"Rage Sniper!" Kain stabbed his sword upward with a charge of dark energy, getting Noel in the back and sent her in the air. As the she fell to the ground, Makoto caught her. Along the way, streams of energy leaked from Noel and into Kain.

"You okay?" Makoto asked.

"I'm fine, thanks," Noel said.

As Makoto put Noel back to the ground, Kain continued to glare at them.

"He suddenly got tough to keep up with," Noel said.

"I guess we shouldn't push our luck," Makoto said. "Let's try something stronger!"

As Noel agreed, Jin and Tager looked cautious.

"Something isn't right," Jin said. "Red Devil, did you notice the energy leaking out of them?"

"Ah," Tager said. "That reading, they sensed of seithr..."

"Don't tell me...!?" Kokonoe said.

The girls charged at Kain ready for a counter strike.

"FENRIR!"

"PARTICLE FLARE!"

The two tried to pull off their distortion drives, but nothing happened.

"Huh?" Noel asked.

"What the hell?" Makoto asked.

"So that's it...!" Kokonoe said. "Get back! He can steal your seithr!"

The two looked shocked, while Kain charged up seithr for an attack.

"DEAD FLARE ABYSS!"

Kain drove his arm into the ground, shooting several strong lasers out of the ground, overwhelming them.

"KYAA!" They cried.

"Noel! Makoto!" Tsubaki cried.

Kain fixed his glare at Tsubaki and started to approach her with killing intent.

"ARCTIC DAGGER!"

A shockwave shot towards Kain, giving Jin and Tager the opportunity to intervene.

The two ran up in front of her to protect her.

"Out...of the way..." Kain muttered. "Move..."

* * *

Burai and Hikari were watching the battle in fear.

"How can they fight him...?" Hikari asked, trembling. "There's no way they could win..."

"But..." Burai said. "We've got to do...something..."

"Then why don'cha?" a raspy voice asked.

They looked up to see Jubei, watching the fight.

"Jubei..." Burai said.

"But...that's..." Hikari murmured.

"Isn't he yer friend?" Jubei asked.

The two realized this, and looked ashamed of themselves. After some though, Hikari stood back up.

"Hikari?" Burai asked.

"...I am ashamed of myself..." Hikari said. "I should be the one protecting him...yet I'm denying him again..."

'_Again?'_ Jubei thought.

"Hikari..." Burai said. He got back up. "Right...we're friends to the end!"

The two, with new resolves, went into the fight.

* * *

"Red Devil! Get Tsubaki and jump!" Jin yelled. Tager grabbed Tsubaki and jumped into the air, grabbing a branch.

"**ARCTIC DUNGEON!**"

Jin stabbed his sword into the ground, freezing the entire ground along with Kain.

"Jin's Astral Heat..." Tsubaki said.

"Let's hope this does some damage..." Tager said

But after a few seconds, Kain managed to break free from the ice.

"What!?" Jin yelled.

Kain glared at Jin, and then kicked Jin in the gut, where his claw-like wings grabbed Jin. His arms formed a large beast head, while seven other heads formed from his back, aiming at Jin.

"DRAGOON SLAUGHTER!"

The heads shot at Jin, overwhelming the already-injured Jin and sending him crashing into the wall.

"JIN!" Tsubaki screamed.

Kain once again fixed his gaze at Tsubaki, then proceeded to go after her.

"Crap!" Tager exclaimed as he dropped back to the ground, while Tsubaki look filled with pure fear.

"Tsubaki! Run!" Jin yelled with all of his might.

"Tsubaki!" Noel and Makoto cried.

"...Die..." Kain murmured.

But then, Kain felt someone tap his shoulder. When he turned around, a sudden knuckle slammed into his face, sending him crashing into the ground. They looked to see a powerfully built man with blue hair and a goatee, wearing a white coat over his shoulders. His body was covered with strange tattoos while he had a menacing grin.

"!? Mad Dog!?" Tager yelled.

"What!?" Jin exclaimed.

"What the hell are you doing, Azrael!?" Kokonoe screamed.

* * *

The man called Azrael grinned as he approached Kain.

"At first I only thought you were just a good fighter," he said. "But to think I get the chance to fight the legendary Black Beast..."

Kain only glared at him murderous

"Hey! Are you listening to me!?" Kokonoe yelled.

"Shut up, Kokonoe," Azrael said. "I've got my orders to take down the threat outside..."

He started to chuckle.

"But I don't give a shit about orders!" Azrael boomed. "All I care about is this fight! Here and now!"

Azrael poised for his move.

"Now...Black Beast..." he said. "Don't disappoint me!"

He suddenly charged at Kain with his fists up high.

"Gustaf Buster!" Azrael launched a forward punch after a rush at Kain, who blocked it with his arm. Azrael then proceeded to trip him, then jumped into the air.

"Sentinel Dump!" Azrael landed on him, breaking the ground.

"Gah!" Kain yelped. He grabbed Azrael's arm and flung him from him. Azrael crashed into something, but got back up.

"It's working..." Jin said. "He's putting up a fight..."

"Not yet..." Azrael said. "This is far from enough!"

Azrael ran up to Kain and went for a backfist blow.

"Tiger Magnum!" He then followed up with an upward kick. "Cobra Spike!"

After Kain was sent airborne, Azrael finished off with a straight punch. "Leopard Launcher!"

Kain crashed into the ground, but got back up, as if nothing happened.

"Agony Throttle!" Kain stabbed Azrael with a strong forward dash with his sword, making him crash into a huge rock. Azrael grabbed Kain's head and smashed it into the ground, and kicked him in the head.

"Valiant Crush!" As Kain landed on some rubble, a strange mark appeared on him. Kain got back up, even angrier than ever.

"How the hell's he putting up a fight!?" Kokonoe asked. "He's just fighting with his fists!"

"Well it doesn't matter now," Tager said. "As long as he can manage to defeat Kain, then we need to take any chances we got."

"But even if it is working..." Jin said. "Kain gets back up every time...as if he was immortal..."

"So this is the Black Beast..." Azrael said. "Interesting..."

Azrael got back up, chuckling.

"Come on..." he said. "Let's have some more fun! Black Beast! BLACKHAWK STINGER!"

Azrael rushed toward Kain and delivered a strong punch.

"GAH!" Kain yelled.

"EAT THIS!" Azrael boomed.

Azrael drove Kain into a wall, causing part of Sector Seven's gate to collapse. Out of the smoke, Azrael checked to see it Kain was down, but out of the smoke came two claw-like wings that grabbed Azrael. Kain got back up, where seven more serpentines, along with the serpentine formed from his arms and aimed them at Azrael.

"DRAGOON SLAUGHTER!"

The eight heads shot at Azrael, sending him crashing into Tager.

"Gaah!" Azrael yelled.

"Guoagh!" Tager yelled.

The two crashed elsewhere, leaving Tsubaki by herself. After enduring all the beating, Kain can now finally focus on his objective. Tsubaki tried to back up away from him, but she was trapped by the rubble caused by Azrael's attacks.

"...Die..." Kain only murmured. "You deserve to die...you hypocrite!"

As Kain aimed his arm at Tsubaki, it seemed as all hope seemed to be lost for her.

"LUSTER FANG: HORIZONTAL FLASH!"

"MIRAGE TRIAD BREAK!"

Hikari slashed Kain with unstoppable speed, while Burai and two clones rammed into Kain, smashing him elsewhere.

"Hikari..." Tsubaki said.

"Miss Tsubaki..." Hikari said. "...I shall protect you..."

"Time for a rematch!" Burai yelled enthusiastically. "Black Beast!"

* * *

Terumi and Relius were watching Kain's battle as the Black Beast from NOL Headquarters. They were both flabbergasted at the sight.

"The hell...?" Terumi murmured.

"What an outcome..." Relius said.

"That's all you have to say!?" Terumi yelled. "That brat became the frickin' Black Beast!"

"An incomplete one," Relius corrected him.

"Like hell that means anything!" Terumi retorted. "The hell's going on!? Where the hell's Envy!?"

Relius stared at the video, then made his exit.

"The hell're you going!?" Terumi yelled.

"...the time for observation has ended," Relius answered. "It is time for action..."

As Relius left, Terumi was all alone. Until a figure suddenly appeared in the room with him. The figure had a large, pointed hat concealing her face, a purple cloak, and two long white scarves ending in red rags, resembling flames.

"Tch, what do you want, Phantom?" Terumi asked annoyed.

No words were said, but Terumi got what Phantom was trying to say.

"...well then..." Terumi said. "Might as well get our business done I guess, ke he he..."

With that, the two teleported out of the room.

* * *

"H...huh...?" Iris moaned.

She struggled to get back up. The pain from her wound made it hard for her to get back up, but she struggled to manage.

"W...what's going on?" she asked.

She looked around and saw the battle.

"No way..." Iris said. "Is that...Kain...?"

'_Damn it_!' she could hear Kain's voice. '_Get away_!'

"!? Kain?" Iris asked. But clearly, Kain wasn't even looking at her.

'_I'm a monster! A freak of society!' _Kain's voice yelled_. 'I should just die! But I'm not going to until I exact revenge! How dare they hurt Iris! She didn't do anything! Everyone deserves to die!'_

"Kain..." Iris murmured. She stared at the black beast, then got back up with resolve.

"Mach Edge: Sonic Pulse!" Hikari jabbed Kain in the gut with the sheath, then turned it to create a sudden pulse, shooting Kain away from her. From behind, Burai prepared for his turn, where Kain aimed his arm at him and fired.

"Gotcha!" Burai exclaimed. He disappeared and kicked Kain from behind, leading to a series of barrages until he heel drop kicked Kain to the ground, then reappeared and punched Jin into the ground. "Mirage Carnival!"

As Burai got away from Kain, Kain only got back up.

"Damn it!" Burai muttered. "I hate to remember how the dude's practically immortal!"

"If only Kidou was here..." Hikari said.

"Heh! C'mon, Hikari!" Burai exclaimed. "Don't you want to be the princess who saves her prince?"

Hikari flustered.

"N-None of your business!" she exclaimed. "But, I guess we have to do something."

Kain growled as he began to charge seithr into his arm once more.

"Here it comes!" Burai yelled.

As the two prepared for whatever attack Kain was going to dish out, Iris suddenly stepped up in front of them.

"Wha-!? Iris!?" Hikari exclaimed.

"What're you doing!? Get out of there!" Burai yelled.

She didn't budge however, as she walked towards Kain.

"Iris!" Noel cried.

"Get out of there!" Makoto cried.

Confused, Kain aimed the seithr at Iris, but didn't shoot. More like he couldn't shoot. As he hesitated to shoot, Iris began to get closer and closer.

"That idiot!" Kokonoe yelled. "Tager! Can't you do anything!?"

"Guh!" Tager only moaned, the pain too great for him.

"That fool...!" Jin managed to say.

As she got closer, Kain started to step back a little.

"Wha...? G...get away..." Kain muttered. "Go...away...don't...look...at me..."

"I won't go away," Iris answered with bravery. "I am looking at you."

Kain stepped back as Iris stepped closer.

"Don't look...at me..." Kain said with fear and stress. "I...I...I'm...a monster! A freak of society!"

"! Monster..." Hikari said, looking guilty.

"You are not a monster," Iris assured him. "You're perfectly fine."

Kain looked surprised, but continued to back up.

"No...I..." Kain murmured scared. "I..."

Iris ran up to him and embraced him. Surprised, Kain tried to get her off, but stopped. Her angelic appearance kept him from doing anything.

"You don't have to suffer anymore..." Iris said. "I will never think that you are a monster..."

"I...I...ri..." Kain struggled to say.

"Now...come on..." Iris said sweetly. "Let's go back to our friends..."

Kain's eyes widened. What appeared to be blood rolled out of his eyes as the armor began to fade into a black essence. It all flowed back into Kain's left arm, where eventually, he turned back to normal. He suddenly fainted in Iris' arms. She smiled and embraced the mentally wounded warrior.

* * *

"Is it over?" Tager asked, getting back up.

"Kain!" Noel exclaimed.

They went to Iris and Kain, relieved that their okay.

"Iris! That was amazing!" Noel exclaimed. "You were so brave!"

"God! You had us so worried!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Sorry," Iris only said.

"Is he going to be alright?" Hikari asked, worried.

"He will," Iris assured Hikari.

"Phew! Damn was I scared shitless!" Burai rejoiced. "Let's hope Kain recovers."

"Move," Jin said coldly, pushing Burai aside. He had his Yukianesa poised, ready to slash Kain down.

"Wha!? Mr. Kisaragi!" Makoto yelled, defending Kain.

"You've seen what he could do..." Jin said. "We need to get rid of such a threat now."

"No!" Noel protested. "Kain's alright now! We don't need to kill him!"

"So you want to leave him loose," Jin asked. "Not knowing when he can become the Black Beast again!?"

As Jin proceeded to kill Kain, Iris got in her way.

"Iris!" Noel and Makoto exclaimed.

"Move, woman," Jin said coldly.

"I won't," Iris shot back.

"Do you really think that you can prevent **that**?" Jin asked mockingly.

"Yes!" Iris exclaimed.

"You fool," Jin said. "You don't even have any powers. What can you possibly do?"

"I can stop him!" Iris exclaimed again.

"Heh! I'd like to see that!" Jin scoffed as he proceeded to slash him, but Iris grabbed the sword of ice with both of her hands.

"What!?" he yelled.

"Iris!" they cried.

"I won't let him suffer anymore!" Iris yelled, making even Jin look surprised a little. "If you do not wish to help him, then take Major Yayoi with you and **leave**!"

Jin glared at Iris, who glared back at him, then put away his sword.

"Do as you please..." Jin said angrily, heading toward Tsubaki.

"Major..." Noel said.

Iris said nothing, and got up, trying to carry Kain with her.

"Noel...Makoto..." Iris said. "You should go help Mr. Kisaragi..."

"But..." Noel said.

"It's all right..." Iris assured them. "Isn't Major Yayoi your friend?"

They looked unsure, but they smiled.

"Thanks, Iris," Noel said.

They rushed off to help Tsubaki, who was pretty much demoralized by all of this.

"I...I..." she murmured. Jin, looking relieved and yet disappointed, hit her with the hilt of his sword, knocking her out.

"You both..." Jin said. "...are truly fools..."

Iris tried to get Kain back to Sector Seven, but he seemed too heavy for her, until Hikari and Burai helped her.

"Thanks," Iris said.

"Don't sweat it!" Burai said cheerfully.

"Let's go..." Hikari said.

Tager reached for his transceiver and reconnected to Kokonoe.

"...the threat has been neutralized..." Tager said.

"I can see that..." Kokonoe retorted. "Just get back here. I have a lot of shit to deal with now..."

"Roger," Tager said.

"...glad you guys aren't dead," Kokonoe whispered to herself.

"What was that?" Tager asked.

"Nothing," Kokonoe answered. "Just get your asses back here."

With that, everyone headed back into Sector Seven.

* * *

"What a show, Kain..." Envy said from afar, clapping. "Bravo! Bravo indeed!"

He got off the tree and floated in midair.

"Well I guess this is the best he could do, given that he's lacking the essential heart," he went on. "But what's more amazing is the girl who managed to stop him."

He shifted his head to Iris.

"As expected from someone chosen by the 'Theios Anima Arma'," Envy commented. "Or will be..."

The wind flew between Envy's silver hairs. The twilight made his hair glow in a bright light.

"Now then," Envy said. "I think it's time to finally meet Kain..."

* * *

From somewhere else, Itsuki, the red-haired swordsman working for Envy, was looking up to the sky.

"It stopped..." he said to himself. "Damn it...someone was able to stop him?"

He stomped on the ground angrily.

"That was definitely the Black Beast," Itsuki said. "And it wasn't Kidou who stopped it. Ni=o, I would have sensed it. So who?"

As he continued to think, his head started to smart, leaving him to be agonized in his own pain.

"Gah! What's with this pain!?"

"Damn it..." Itsuki grumbled. "Where the hell are you? Kain, Kidou? Once I find you two, then I'll prove to them all that I am the strongest!"

With that, Itsuki angrily continued his journey, until he spotted a group of three.

"Is that...?" he asked.

* * *

Ragna looked up and felt the dark aura disappearing.

"The hell was that...?" he asked. Then he glared at Saya. "You know something, don't you?"

She looked up at Ragna with teary eyes.

"It..." she hesitated to say. "It...it was my...brother..."

He looked shocked at that statement.

"That was your brother!?" he yelled. "The hell is he!?"

"Hey, Funny Lady," Tao asked. "Funny Lady has a brother?"

"Yeah," Saya said nervously.

"...what're you hiding?" Ragna asked.

"N-Nothing, damn it..." Saya tried to get Ragna off the topic, but he didn't budge.

"Tell me," Ragna said in a stern tone.

"Fine, goddamn it..." Saya said. "...My brother...is the Black Beast..."

That left Ragna speechless.

"That's not funny for a joke," Ragna said. But Saya's expression told Ragna that she wasn't lying.

"What the hell are you?" Ragna asked.

"I..." Saya said, about to cry. Ragna only groaned.

"Gah! Oh come on, don't cry!" Ragna said. "Look, forget what I just said. Let's just set up camp, 'kay?"

Saya looked up, relieved.

"Thanks, Ragna," she said sweetly.

_And there's the face again. Goddamn it, it's like I'm dealing with Noel..._

"We're setting up camp!?" Tao exclaimed excitedly. "So does that mean it's dinner time?"

"If you help for once," Ragna said.

"Okay Good Guy!" Tao exclaimed. "Tao will do her best!"

AS Tao excitedly runs off ahead, Ragna only groaned as Saya followed him.

"Look," Ragna said. "If you want to talk about it, then go ahead..."

"...Thanks," Saya said. "I think I'm gonna have to eventually..."

As the two went ahead, someone suddenly attacked them. Ragna quickly intercepted it with his sword.

"Huh!?" Tao exclaimed. "What's the matter good Guy!?"

"...And just who the hell are you?" Ragna asked. He looked up to see a red-haired man, pushing a sword made of moonlight against his blade.

"!? Jin!?" Ragna exclaimed. "No...it can't be..."

"!? Itsuki!?" Saya said instead. "What are you doing here!?"

"Another one of your friends?" Ragna asked angrily.

"Yeah...but..." Saya said. "Something's wrong!"

Itsuki only glared at Ragna with his green eyes that indeed looked like Jin's.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN: **Wasn't that an interesting show. I wonder how Kain's gonna do after all of this. And it looks like the villains are finally gonna make their moves.

And since OCs fought, I shall explain their drives/overdrives:

Alicia

Drive: Marchenland Schatten: (translated as Wonderland Shadow): She can manipulate her shadow to create a myriad of attacks, ranging form a simple shadow strike to even making midair barriers.

Overdrive: Schatten Walzer: (translated as Shadow Waltz): All of her attacks involving her shadow will become stronger.

Beast Kain (yes, he is a legitimate OC and will serve as Kain's double like how Mu serves as Noel's double. I changed it from Black Beast to avoid confusion. If this offends anyone, I'm sorry, but it's better than calling him Black Beast.)

Drive: Death Eater: Will steal a portion of the opponents heat gauge, and charge it as his own.

Overdrive: Nightmare Soul: Will overload the Azure Grimoire, allowing him to steal more heat gauge, along with getting a massive buff.

STick around next time, and don;t forget to review. It would be nice to hear your opinions on the story!


	10. Chapter 10: Resolve

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 10: Resolve**

* * *

**AN: **Welcome back to Chrono Paradigm and here's chapter 10! It's a bit short, but it's important to Kain's own motives, and to the story.

_TEXT=people's thoughts/conversation via communicator_

TEXT=distortion drives

* * *

Everyone was all gathered in the infirmary, where Kain and Tsubaki were resting. Iris was comforting Kain, while everyone else was glaring at Kokonoe.

"You've got some explaining to do, Kokonoe," Makoto said.

"Oh?" Kokonoe asked.

"First off," Noel said angrily. "How did you know about Kain being the Black Beast?"

"You remember the first scan we did on him?" Kokonoe asked. "Yeah well after a closer look, we found that his Azure was a frickin' insane."

"His Azure's to blame?" Noel asked.

"No shit, Sherlock," Kokonoe retorted. "And FYI, your Azure doesn't even come close to comparison with what he's packing."

Noel looked a bit worried at Kain.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Makoto asked.

"Oh so I tell you," Kokonoe retorted. "And let you guys freak out because Kain can become what pretty much screwed the earth 100 years ago?"

"We wouldn't have–!" Makoto protested.

"Please," Kokonoe interrupted coldly. "Best case scenario, Kain would have lost the trust of all of you."

They couldn't deny that.

"Your only goddamn save," Kokonoe stated. "Was that he was incomplete, and he couldn't exert **all** of his true powers. In other words, you fought a crippled Black Beast. And I'm willing to bet that Kain was only focused on Tsubaki, so he just used the effort to get you guys out-of-the-way."

"Wait, why does it sound like you know how to make one?" Makoto asked.

Kokonoe didn't respond to that, only checked up on Kain.

"Kokonoe?" Makoto asked.

"What I want to know," Jin said. "Is what benefits would it do for you to keep such a monstrosity and not even tell the owner about it."

"I just explained it to you, didn't I, retard?" Kokonoe asked rudely. "I didn't tell you because–"

"You wanted to see if you could use the Black Beast," Jin interrupted. "Didn't you?"

That managed to shut Kokonoe up.

"Use the Black Beast?" Noel asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Simple," Jin said. "Manipulate Kain so that she can gain control of the Black Beast."

"What!?" they yelled.

"That's insane...!" Makoto said. "Control the Black Beast!?"

"Because the base is Kain," Jin went on. "It is possible."

Kokonoe glared at Jin as Jin glared at her.

"A weapon that almost annihilated mankind," Jin said. "A weapon so strong, that even the Six Heroes had trouble with...am I right? Master?"

"...Yeah..." Jubei said.

"If you could manage to control such power," Jin said. "Then you could destroy anyone...even Terumi..."

"Don't tell me!?" Noel exclaimed.

"The only reason why we survived was because he was 'incomplete'," Jin said. "If Kokonoe were to find the heart and fuse it with him, then nothing could stop him."

"That's jumping the gun a bit too much..." Makoto said. "I mean even if the Six Heroes had some trouble, they did manage to defeat him, right?"

"Banded together, yes," Jin said. "But by themselves, it would be impossible."

"Not to mention," Burai said. "Nox Nyctores can't do shit to him."

They turned their attention to Burai.

"You mentioned a 'rematch'?" Jubei asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"...Nox Nyctores," Burai only said. "Are ineffective to it."

"Nox Nyctores' can't do anything?" Noel asked. "But we managed to hurt him..."

"Hurt, yeah," Burai said. "But the Ars Magus that the Noxs produced actually healed all the wounds that we gave to him."

"So in result," Jin said. "Our attacks were only healing him...no wonder he seemed immortal..."

He turned to the two.

"Who are you people?" Jin asked. "How much power do you truly possess?"

The two looked worried. Hikari showed them her blade.

"This is my Nox Nyctores," Hikari explained. "Mucro Veloces: Idaten. It controls the area's sense of speed and allows me to manipulate it, so that I can move faster than anyone else in the area."

"I knew it..." Kokonoe said. "So you were the one with the unknown Nox."

"How's that possible?" Makoto asked. "I thought there were only 10 Noxs in existence."

The two didn't respond.

"Well, let's just leave it as that..." Jubei said. "They don't feel like talkin', so we shouldn't force them to talk."

"Master..." Jin said reluctantly. "...Fine..."

He looked over to Tsubaki, worried, then looked at Hikari suspiciously.

'_But what is about this woman...?' _Jin thought. _'I thought about it before...but she looks so similar to Tsubaki...but what's this feeling...? Something seems off...?'_

Iris looked worried as she looked over Kain.

"Kain..." Iris said.

* * *

_I...I am a monster..._

_Not just any monster...the Black Beast..._

_Mankind's enemy..._

_I'm a threat to everyone..._

_...No! I'm not a threat! I won't admit it!_

_I am not a monster!_

_**Why deny yourself?**_

"Huh?" Kain asked.

He looked around and found himself in an empty space.

"Where am I?" Kain asked. "Where did everyone go?"

"**Everyone's in the surface**_**," **_a dark voice echoed.

He looked to see a dark monstrous figure glaring at him. The same figure that attacked everyone. The sight of the monster filled Kain with fear.

"The...Black Beast..." Kain stammered.

"**Why are you scared?"** the Black Beast asked. **"I am you."**

"What!?" Kain asked.

"**Beast Kain,"** the beast said. **"Call me that..."**

Kain quickly reached for his sword, but it wasn't there.

"What!?" Kain said. "It's not there!?"

"**You can't rely on your Theios Anima Arma now..."** Beast Kain echoed.

"Theios Anima Arma...?" Kain asked. "You mean the Blood Scythe Telos!?"

"**Of course,"** Beast Kain replied. **"Now that you have no means of attacking, why don't we talk?"**

"There's nothing we need to talk about!" Kain exclaimed. "I'm not you!"

"**There is no use denying the truth..."** Beast Kain retorted. **"I am you...I am your true self..."**

"No!" Kain yelled. "I'm not a monster like you!"

"**Then why did you lose control of yourself?" **Beast Kain asked.

Kain couldn't respond to that.

"**Do you know what makes one a 'monster'?"** Beast Kain asked. **"...One must possess abnormal power and abuse it for their own gains..."**

"Since when have I–!?" Kain yelled.

"**You almost killed Tsubaki Yayoi the first time you two met..." **Beast Kain interrupted. **"...Because you wanted to protect Iris..."**

Kain tried to make a rebuttal, but couldn't argue the truth.

"**You also killed all of those vigilantes in the forest because you wanted some information on the NOL..." **Beast Kain went on. **"And you almost killed everyone just to get your revenge on Tsubaki for hurting Iris..."**

The beast walked up to Kain.

"**Do not fret..." **Beast Kain said. **"I am your ally. Because I am you..."**

"You're not me...!" Kain yelled. "You can't be me!"

"**How long do you plan to deny the truth?" **Beast Kain asked. **"Embrace your power...accept it and use it to destroy everything that you hate!"**

"What're you talking about!?" Kain yelled. "Why would I–!?"

"**Why? Because we're a monster," **Beast Kain said in his face. **"No matter how you try to deny it, the fact that we can only destroy those around us as long as we have this power will never go away...Even if we have people to love, we will only just hurt them because of our power..."**

"Stop it..." Kain said.

"**We can never hold those dear to us..." **Beast Kain said. **"Because we will only end up hurting them..."**

"Stop!" Kain exclaimed.

"**We can never be happy as long as we are plagued with this power..." **Beast Kain continued.

"Stop it!" Kain practically begged. "I said stop it, damn it!"

"**At this rate," **Beast Kain practically boomed. **"We will end up killing Iris! Do you want that to happen!?"**

"AAAAAUUUGH!" Kain screamed into the oblivion.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ragna had to deal with fighting with Itsuki. Itsuki's swordplay only counteracted Ragna's violent movements, as Itsuki seemed to have the upper hand.

_Son of a bitch...not only does this brat look like Jin, but he's just as annoying!_

Itsuki performed a series of swift and painful sword attacks chained into each other.

"Waxing Edge!"

He finished it off with a straight and powerful jab, which sent Ragna straight into some debris.

"Damn it!" Ragna yelled as he tried to stab Itsuki, but he just dodged it.

"Fool," Itsuki said as he brandished his sword. "Waning Edge!"

He rolled behind Ragna and stabbed him from behind. As Ragna tried to recover, Itsuki made his next move.

"Penumbra!"

Itsuki managed to dash past Ragna, slashing him in the process.

_Goddamn it! His movements are just like his!_

"Ragna!" Saya cried. "Itsuki! Why are you doing this!?"

"Shut it!" Itsuki yelled. "This is my only chance to fight Ragna the Bloodedge in an even power balance! I won't let this chance escape!"

_'Damnit! If I only had my Murakumo...'_ Saya thought angrily.

"Tch! You damn bloodthirsty brat!" Ragna yelled. "Hell's Fang!"

Ragna slammed his hand engulfed in darkness at Itsuki, sending him away from him. Ragna then added another strike, sending Itsuki flying. Itsuki got back his balance in the air, where Ragna already had his scythe ready.

"Blood Scythe!"

He slammed his scythe over Itsuki, slamming him to the ground. As Ragna landed on the ground, Itsuki raced back to him, and brandished his katana.

"LUNAR FANG: VERTICAL FLASH!"

Itsuki strongly slashed Ragna up, sending him flying into the sky.

"Gah!" Ragna muttered as he landed on to the ground.

"Ragna!" Saya cried.

"Good Guy!" Tao exclaimed. "What the hell do you think you're doing!? Red-Haired Guy!?"

"Me?" Itsuki asked. "Hmph, shut it, cat."

"Grrr! Now you've made Tao mad!" Tao yelled. "Get ready to get the crap beatin' outta you!"

"Then come," Itsuki said, taunting Tao.

After letting out a ferocious cry, Tao charged at him with great speed. Itsuki barely blocked her claws, while engaging him into an aerial brawl out.

"Gougy Gougy!" Tao yelled as she starts to slash Itsuki with her feet.

"Gu! Not bad, Kaka," Itsuki said as he laid his sword on his back. "Waxing Blade!"

Itsuki twirled up above Tao and slammed his blade on Tao, shooting her to the ground.

"Tao!" Saya cried. "Itsuki, you asshole! Why the hell are you doing this!?"

"I thought I told you to stay out of this!" Itsuki yelled. "This is my wish! To fight the greatest warriors is my wish!"

"Tch...What an annoying brat..." Ragna muttered. "And he's under the influence of the Mind Eater? So he's being manipulated by 'them'."

Ragna got back up.

"Didn't want to do this..." Ragna said. "But you leave me no choice..."

Ragna held up his right arm.

"BLOOD KAIN IDEA!"

Ragna activated his Azure Grimoire, causing a distortion that seemed to stop time.

"The Azure!" Saya exclaimed.

"So you finally thought of going all out..." Itsuki said. "Finally! A real challenge!"

As Itsuki charged at Ragna, Ragna only held his sword and easily slammed his sword against Itsuki's chest and sent him rocketing into a tree.

"Gah!" Itsuki gagged, spewing blood.

As he got back up, Ragna was already dashing at him.

"CARNAGE..." he yelled as he hit Itsuki with his sword. "SCISSORS!"

He released two spikes or dark energy, sending him flying. Itsuki crashed into the ground, where Ragna ran up to him, picked him up when he was down, and punched him in the gut.

"Guoh..." Itsuki whimpered. Meanwhile, Ragna only formed a giant dark claw from his right hand.

"DEVOURED BY DARKNESS!"

Ragna lifted up Itsuki over his head and bombarded him with a storm of dark tendrils that overwhelmed him, blowing him away. As he spewed blood, Ragna went over to him and held his blade over Itsuki's head. He then proceeded to fling his sword down, but stopped at the last second.

"...you done?" Ragna asked. "Sheesh, such a damn brat..."

"Aren't you...going to finish me off...?" Itsuki gasped.

"Nah..." Ragna said. "You're her friend...so if I kill you, I won't see the end of her bitching..."

"Keh!" Itsuki scoffed. "You're...too soft..."

"Tch...Even that uptight attitude is like his..." Ragna commented. "C'mon you two, we need to get to Ibukido..."

Ragna walked around the injured Itsuki, heading towards ibukido.

"Itsuki..." Saya said. She looked down on him, then followed Ragna.

"Ah! Wait, Good Guy! Funny Lady!" Tao exclaimed.

As Tao chased after them, Itsuki struggled to get back up. He coughed up some blood as he stood back up.

"Celestial...Gift..."

He tapped his sword on to the ground, where a ray of moonlight shined down upon him, healing his wounds a little. He gasped for air, as he looked up at the twilight with anger and anguish.

"_...Who told you to engage Ragna the Bloodedge?"_ a voice rang in his head.

"...Envy..." Itsuki growled. "...I told you that I would do things my way..."

"_Yes...but it is a problem for you to just go and kill him off," _Envy said. _"Well...I never would have believed you could actually kill him, much less put up a good fight."_

Itsuki growled at Envy's comment.

"What do you want?" Itsuki asked.

"_If you're really __**that**__ blood-thirsty," _Envy suggested. _"Then I suggest you go after Jin Kisaragi."_

"! Jin...Kisaragi..." Itsuki said.

"_From my calculations, he should be arriving there along with Tsubaki Yayoi and Burai sometime tomorrow," _Envy reported. _"Your job is to convince Tsubaki Yayoi to return to us."_

Itsuki didn't respond to Envy.

"_You've been given your orders," _Envy said. _"As long as you do that, you can go fight whoever you want. Well then, I'd better get going. Au revoir..."_

Envy's voice disappeared, where Itsuki was left staring into the sky.

"...Jin...Kisaragi..." Itsuki said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Envy was sitting on a tree, staring into the sky.

"_Envy! You piece of shit!" _a voice raged in his head.

"Oh, Terumi," Envy said nonchalantly. "What's the matter? You sound rather peeved."

"_Of course I am! The hell was that!?" _Terumi yelled.

"What?" Envy asked innocently.

"_Don't play coy with me, you masked asswipe!" _Terumi barked. _"What the hell was the Black Beast doing there!?"_

"Didn't I tell you this when I was explaining Kain to you?" Envy asked. "...Must have slipped my mind..."

"_You son of a bitch..." _Terumi said. _"What are you hiding...?"_

"Are **you **of all people really asking me that question?" Envy asked. "Don't worry about it...it's not like it's a bad thing or anything..."

"_Of course it's a bad thing!" _Terumi yelled. _"Just when that shitty Rags has a chance of killing me with that Idea Engine, now here's Wonder Boy being able to turn into the Black Beast! In case you didn't know, that shit killed me once! There's no damn time to make another host body, you know!"_

"Now now, let's calm down here," Envy said. "Oh do you mind if I borrow Phantom for a while?"

Terumi groaned, knowing that he wouldn't get anywhere with Envy.

"_...She'll regroup with you at midnight..." _Terumi growled. _"You better not screw up!"_

Terumi's voice faded away.

"My god...what an angry little troll he is..." Envy said. "...Well then..."

He got up, and turned his head to Sector Seven, then vanished.

* * *

Meanwhile, Claude and the others had already set up camp.

"Now then..." Claude said. "What to do now..."

"Shouldn't we look for Kain?" Mary asked. "If that's what I think it was...then maybe we should split up."

"No," Claude said. "We finally reunited. I'm not going to let my sister run off again. We need to stick together."

"Um...Claude..." Carl said. "May I ask, who is this 'Kain' person? He seems to be a rather important person to you two."

Mary suddenly got all excited.

"Kain's the best!" she exclaimed. "He can practically do anything and he's so nice and cool! He can totally whoop everyone's ass here!"

"I'd like to see that!" Luna rebutted.

"The hell you say!?" Mary yelled.

As the two girls started to bicker at each other, the guys conversed on Kain.

"So this Kain fellow," Bang said. "He must be very important to you two."

"Yes," Claude said. "He is one of our friends, and the reason we set out here."

"Did he get kidnapped?" Carl asked.

"Well, you can say that..." Claude said uneasily. "But we don't know where he is. And on top of that, an accident separated us from our friends, so now we're looking for both Kain and the others."

"Are these other friends of yours fighters as well?" Bang asked.

"Yes," Claude answered. "They are all very strong fighters, so I'm sure they'll be fine on their own. I'm just worried that they might fall into the hands of something evil..."

"Wel then!" Bang said cheerfully. "I would like to spar with them once we meet!"

As Claude drank some water, he looked up to the sky.

"How much longer until we get to Ibukido?" Claude asked.

"Not that far," Carl said. "But this rubble will get in the way..."

"If I may," Bang suggested. "Why don't we just take a shortcut through Wadatsumi?"

"That would be faster..." Carl said. "Okay then. Let's go with that."

"But for now," Claude said. "Let us rest up. We'll head out tomorrow."

As they all agreed, the two girls tired themselves out from their unnecessary argument.

"You wanna settle this the old-fashioned way?" Mary asked.

"All right then," Luna said. "I'll show you how strong the great Luna is!"

Mary pounded her fists as she summoned two gauntlets.

"Bring it! Split-personality bitch!" Mary exclaimed.

From afar, a figure was watching them. The figure seemed to have purple hair and was wearing an effeminate kimono.

"I finally found you," the man said. "Little cute vigilante..."

* * *

"Ah!" Kain screamed.

He got up from his bed like a rocket, only to find himself in the infirmary. He was breathing heavily and sweating crazily as he looked around.

"It was just a dream..." Kain said in relief. "Phew..."

As he looked around, he found Iris resting her head on his bed and sleeping.

"Iris!" he said.

She was sleeping peacefully. Kain sighed in relief as he rubbed her head.

"...Kain..." Iris moaned in her sleep. "...You're...not a monster..."

He looked surprised as she went on with her sleep talk.

"...I'll protect you..." she went on. "So...you don't...need...to worry..."

"Iris..."

He smiled at her.

"My, what a cute couple," a distorted voice said from the shadows.

Kain quickly turned to see a masked jester sitting on the other bed.

"!? Who–!?" Kain yelled, but the jester lifted his arm, and Kain's mouth suddenly closed. He tried to open it, but his mouth couldn't budge.

"Try breathing from your nose," the jester said. "And try communicating with your thoughts. I can do a lot of things. Honestly, if you were to shout or anything, then that will blow my cover."

Kain tried to breathe from his nose, and glared at the jester.

_Who the hell are you!?_

"My, you don't remember me?" the jester asked. "Well, then I guess the after effects of the 'fall' did wonders for both of us."

_What the hell are you talking about!? And who the hell are you!?_

"My name is Envy," the jester responded. "Let's get along here..."

_How did you get in here!?_

"To me," Envy answered. "Such primitive security measures like this is like cutting butter with a hot knife."

_What do you want!?_

Kain grabbed his sword and pointed it at him.

"Look, don't get all angry there," Envy said. "I'm not here to fight. I'm just here to congratulate you on your greatest achievement."

_What the hell're you talking about?_

"What else is there?" Envy said. "I'm talking about your resurrection as the Black Beast."

Kain looked shocked and grabbed for the gun handle, but Envy's glove emitted a great energy, making his arm stop from releasing the trigger.

"Although you lack the important heart to make it complete," Envy said. "Congratulations are in order."

_What's there to congratulate about? _

"You should accept your powers," Envy suggested. "Or else they will control you."

_What the hell are you–!?_

"The Black Beast is beckoning you to accept it," Envy said. "Is it not?"

_!? How d'you–!?_

"Like I said," Envy said. "I can do a lot of things. Like read your soul."

_You..._

Envy looked at Iris.

"She believes that you are not a monster," Envy said. "So shouldn't you try to prove her right?"

Kain became deep in thought, anguished by the power.

"...Well it's getting pretty late," Envy said. "I'll take my leave."

Envy got up from the bed.

"Please do take my advice," Envy said. "It'll be best for both of you. Well then, au revoir."

With that, Envy disappeared, releasing Kain from the mysterious energy that was keeping him from moving. He gasped for air as he looked around.

"How the hell...?" he asked himself.

He stared at the ceiling, the got out of his bed, being careful not to wake up Iris. He grabbed his sword and left the room.

* * *

Envy reappeared under the full moon, outside of Sector Seven.

"...It would be a problem," he said. "If you don't learn how to control it..."

Near him, a mysterious robed woman appeared out of nowhere.

"...Well then," Envy said. "I guess we better be going..."

As they were about to leave, Envy looked at the moon.

"...I guess..." Envy said. "..._I_ hate the moon as always..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another section of the sector, Jin was alone with Tsubaki, who was looking guilty.

"J...Jin..." Tsubaki said nervously. "I..."

"What?" Jin coldly asked, shutting her up.

"I...It's just..." Tsubaki said. "I'm sorry...for causing all of this trouble..."

"Seriously, you really are an idiot." Jin said. "To think you would blindly work for Terumi."

"Terumi?" Tsubaki asked. "You mean Yuuki Terumi? One of the Six Heroes? How is he involved in this?"

"You are affiliated with Hazama," Jin asked. "Aren't you?"

"You mean Captain Hazama?" Tsubaki asked. "He may be a bad person, but there's no way he could be Terumi. Besides, didn't Terumi work together with Hakumen and the others to defeat the Black Beast?"

"You truly are blind..." Jin scoffed. "Just because one helps win a war, doesn't mean that he is truly 'good'. Isn't that right, Master?"

Jin turned to Jubei, who had laid on a wall listening to them.

"Yea' that's right," Jubei said. "The bastard killed off my wife and stepsister, ended up turning your friend into **that**, and ruined your friend's family."

Tsubaki looked shocked. She could hardly believe it, but being told this by one of the Six Heroes himself makes it convincing enough.

"You should have felt something evil from 'Hazama'?" Jin asked.

"Now that you mentioned it..." Tsubaki said.

"'Evil Incarnate'," Jubei said. "No two words could describe the bastard better. So? What will ya' do?"

Tsubaki was deep in shock and thought, as Jin only sighed disappointed.

'_If possible, I wanted to not involve her in this...'_ Jin thought. _'But...she's still under the effect of the Mind Eater...and there's 'Izayoi'...Terumi...what are you planning...'_

* * *

Kain walked out of Sector Seven, the cold air and the full moon greeted him rather harshly. As he walked outside, he looked up to the full moon, deep in thought.

"What's the matter?" a gentle voice asked.

He looked to see Noel.

"Noel..." Kain said. "...Nothing's wrong...I'm fine..."

"Are you worried about your power?" Noel asked.

Kain looked a bit surprised.

"How did you...?" Kain asked.

"I would be worried about something like that if it suddenly happened to me too," Noel said. "Well...something like that did happen already..."

"Huh?"

Noel walked next to Kain.

"A while ago," Noel explained. "I learned of my true existence..."

"Your true existence?" Kain asked.

"Yes..." Noel said. "I'm...not human..."

"!? Not human?"

"Yes," Noel explained. "I'm what you would call a Murakumo Unit."

"Murakumo..." Kain said. "A Nox Nyctores!?"

"An artificial human created to use the Murakumo," Noel said. "In order to go into the Boundary as Prime Field Devices, but for me..."

Kain looked confused.

"I was created to be The God Slayer 'Kusanagi'," Noel said uneasily. "A 'monster' meant to destroy everything."

"A 'monster'..." Kain said. "So you were..."

"I was strong..." Noel joked. "Not even Major Kisaragi could defeat me."

"For real!?" Kain asked. "You even managed to beat Jin..."

"But...I couldn't control myself..." Noel said. "I let my hatred to the world get the best of me, and I almost killed my friends."

Kain seemed to sympathise for her

"But...this one person managed to save me despite all of the odds were against him..." Noel said. "And thanks to him, I was set free from the power."

"Is that person...Ragna...?" Kain asked.

Noel suddenly became flustered when he mentioned Ragna. She nodded in response.

"Afterwards, with the help of my friends," Noel said. "I was able to accept the power. Not as a mean to destroy everything, but to protect those that are important to me."

"…To protect those...that are important..." Kain said to himself.

"Kain," Noel said. "This is your power. So it's up to you on how you want to use it."

Kain found himself deep in thought.

_To use such devastating power to protect others? Is that even possible?_

"It's worth trying," Noel said.

_...I guess you're right. It's too early to give up._

"...You're right..." Kain said. "I guess I was too weak...thanks, Noel..."

Kain walked away from her and sat on the ground. He stabbed his sword into the ground and started to concentrate.

"Well then," Kain said. "I better get going."

Noel smiled.

"Good luck."

Kain gave her a thumbs up and closed his eyes. From afar, Iris seemed to have been watching the event. She smiled at Kain.

* * *

"**So you came back..."**

Kain found himself back in the space of oblivion. In front of him, was himself as the Black Beast.

"Yo, 'me'..." Kain said.

"**So you plan to accept me then?" **Beast Kain asked.

"Yeah..." Kain said. "You are myself. And this is our power."

The beast apparently smiled.

"You are right," Kain said. "This power is abnormal...it's devastating...with it...I can destroy everything...since it's a part of me, I should embrace it...But..."

"**But?" **Beast Kain asked.

"This is **my** power," Kain said. "So I will use this power not to destroy everything...but to protect my friends!"

"**To protect your friends?" **Beast Kain asked surprised. **"You're serious?"**

Kain gave him a glare. A determined glare that couldn't be shaken by anything. The beast snickered. He lifted his monster arm and formed a long sword.

"**Draw your sword," **Beast Kain said.

Kain grabbed his sword and drew it out. The two poised at each other, then ran at each other.

"RRAAAAAAUGH!" they cried as they flung their swords at each other.

With one strike. One strike was all that they needed to decide their fates. The one to fall...was the beast. As he fell, Kain put away his sword, victorious.

"**So that is your answer..." **Beast Kain said as Kain walked to him.

"Yeah," Kain said.

"**...Let me tell you something, me..." **Beast Kain said. **"Good and evil is only a fabrication."**

Kain lent him a hand, which the beast accepted.

"**There's no way to tell whether something is good or evil. Because there is no true way to tell."**

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"**There will be people who will think that something is good,"** Beast Kain said. **"And at the same time, there will be people who will think that same thing is evil."**

"So how do you tell whether something is good or evil?" Kain asked.

"**That is easy..." **Beast Kain said as he held out his left hand. **"You decide for yourself."**

"...Huh?" Kain asked.

"**You'll understand soon enough..." **Beast Kain said. **"Now...let's go..."**

Kain looked at his hand, and accepted it with his own left hand.

* * *

He woke back up. He looked around to see Noel and Iris next to him.

"Iris...Noel..." Kain said.

"Welcome back, Kain," Iris said sweetly.

"So?" Noel asked. "Did you accept yourself?"

Kain nodded, smiling.

* * *

In Wadatsumi, Relius Clover was searching the area where the orb of seithr was before.

"There are no signs of any irregularities that could have caused it," he said to himself. "So how did that thing form?"

Relius looked around the area.

"...Such mysteries keep on coming," Relius said to himself. "...In order to find a stable truth, I must first figure out the whereabouts of Kain..."

"Hey you, wait there," a voice interrupted him.

As Relius was about to make his leave, a figure suddenly attacked him. Relius dodged it, to see a woman with white hair, golden eyes, dark skin, large breasts and a scar across her nose, wearing a black jacket with a white button-up tee and torn-up hot pants.

"...I don't know who you are," Relius responded coldly. "But I am very busy right now. Disappear."

"Are you Relius Clover?" the woman asked.

"What of it?" Relius asked. "I'll only repeat myself once...I am very busy, disappear."

"I want to ask you about the Nox Nyctores Extraction mission that occurred five years ago," the woman said.

Relius only sighed.

"I don't have any worthless time to waste telling you anything," Relius said, ready to leave.

"Wait!" the woman exclaimed. Relius sighed.

"That mission...it was indeed Sector Seven who assigned it," the woman said. "But I know that you were the one commanding it!"

"So...what of it?"

"I want to ask you about the soldiers who took part in that mission."

"A waste of time..."

The woman suddenly assaulted Relius, but with a snap of a finger, a feminine puppet like Nirvana appeared and defended Relius.

"I guess I'll ask for your name," Relius said. "It **may **serve some purpose..."

"Call me Bullet," the woman said. "And I'll force you to tell me if I have to!"

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else in Wadatsumi, Litchi seemed to be frantically searching for something.

"Where are you?" she asked desperately. "Lotte..."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN: **And here's the end of Chapter 10. Looks like some old faces and some new faces make an appearance. How will they be involved in the story?

And again, more drive/overdrive explanations of OCs

Itsuki:

Drive: **Gekkou Zanjustu **(Moonlight Blade Arts): Allow Itsuki to perform extremely fast succesion moves. Similar to Noel's Chain Revolver, but requires more technique.

Overdrive: **Engetsu Hireijin **(Lunar Absolute Zero Blade): Will inflict freezing effects with each blade strike along with increase the power of each blade strike.

See ya next time and review!


	11. Chapter 11: Shift

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 11: Shift**

* * *

**AN: **Here's Chapter 11 to Chrono Paradigm. Rejoice! There's more fighting and more suspence!

_TEXT=people's thoughts/conversation via communicator_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_Okay, after all that shit, let's go for a fresh new start!_

_But now...what to do?_

_Well the 'find Ragna' goal still hasn't changed, so I guess we'll stick with that..._

_But now...where to look..._

* * *

The next morning, Kain woke up from a good rest, and looked through a window. The sun shined down on him as he yawned.

"Wasn't that a good rest," Kain said. "Now then..."

He got out of the bed and grabbed his sword. He cracked his knuckles and noticed that Iris was sleeping in the next bed.

"Yo! Iris!" Kain exclaimed, throwing a pillow at her.

"Kya!" Iris yelped. "Huh? It's morning?"

"Yep," Kain said. "C'mon. Get up and let's go eat something."

As Iris got up and Kain was about to leave, Kain stopped.

"Hey, Iris," Kain said. "What happened while I was out?"

"Oh," Iris said. "Well, you see..."

Iris explained the entire conversation she heard from Kain.

"I see," Kain said. "Well there seems to be a lot of tension going on..."

"So what do we do?" Iris asked.

"...We leave to find Ragna," Kain declared. "At this point, just staying here will probably lead to some more shit happening."

"Are you sure?" Iris asked. "I thought we joined Sector Seven to find Ragna better? You just said that finding him ourselves is pretty much a wild goose chase."

"We've only been here for like what, two days?" Kain said. "And already this much shit happened. I say we just get out of here, and test our luck."

"...I guess..." Iris said.

As Iris got back up, she sort of flinched a little.

"Iris?" Kain asked.

"It's okay..." Iris responded sort of sheepishly. "I'm fine..."

"Something the matter?"

"It's just...I felt a surge of power..." Iris said. "I don't get it, but it hurts..."

"I see..." Kain said. "...For now...let's go see Kokonoe..."

"...Are you sure? I mean...with what she was planning to do with you and all...are you sure...?" Iris asked.

"...For now, she's probably our greatest supporter in terms of influence," Kain said. "We can't really lose that advantage now can we?"

"I guess you're right..." Iris said. Kain patted her head.

"We'll be fine..." Kain assured her. "Now c'mon."

Iris looked a little worried, but smiled it out.

* * *

At the mess hall, everyone was gathered there, sitting at one table, waiting for Kain and Iris. Even Azrael was laying against a wall.

"What's this commotion?" Kain asked.

"You're alright!" Makoto exclaimed cheerfully.

"Are you okay?" Hikari asked. "You did sleep well, yes?"

"Right...sorry for making you guys worry..." Kain said. "I'm fine."

"That's good to hear," Burai said. "We were so worried."

"Hmph! If you had already been able to control your power," Jin said. "Then we wouldn't have been in this mess to begin with."

"Sheesh sorry, Jin, I–," Kain said, until he saw Tsubaki next to him. "YOU!"

Kain got in front of Iris and pointed his rifle at her. Jin in response readied his Yukianesa, while Tsubaki flinched a little.

"Don't make me cut you down," Jin warned him. "Just because I hold you to a higher regard, doesn't mean you'll get away with hurting Tsubaki."

"What the hell is she doing here?" Kain asked rather angrily.

"Calm down you two!" Makoto exclaimed. "We're all friends here!"

"'Friends'!?" Kain exclaimed. "She almost tried to kill Iris! Twice!"

"I know that!" Makoto tried to reason with Kain. "But she's sorry about that! Just hear her out, okay!?"

With hesitation, Kain put down his weapon, but still glared at Tsubaki.

"Give me one good reason why I should trust her now," Kain growled.

"Because she has vital information on the NOL, along with Terumi," Jin said with increasing anger. "SO if you value your life even a little, then you will hear her out, or so swear, that I will mutilate you!"

Kain looked a little surprised at Jin's emotional outburst, so he backed down.

"Fine..." he said. "But if she tries anything on Iris again, so help me I'll–!"

"I won't hurt her," Tsubaki assured Kain. "I promise."

Kain still glared at her, but let her speak.

"Well I don't truly have that much information," Tsubaki explained. "But so far, all I know is that Captain Ha–Terumi and Relius is trying to find an alternative way to destroy the Master Unit, Amaterasu."

"Master Unit?" Kain asked. "How the hell're they going to do that? Isn't it hidden in the Boundary or something?"

"I don't know," Tsubaki said. "I would believe that they will try and use another Murakumo Unit to find it."

"There's more of them?" Kain asked.

"Yes," Tsubaki replied. "Knowing that Colonel Relius is responsible for making them, then it would be possible."

"So, what happens if this Master Unit gets destroyed?" Kain asked.

"No one truly knows," Tsubaki said. "But it's clear that Terumi is going to make his move when he does."

"So in other words," Kain asked. "We need to kill this 'Terumi' guy and protect this 'Amaterasu Unit'?"

They all nodded in response.

"Terumi..." Kain said. "So he's the main 'evil'?"

"Yes," Noel said with great disgust. "He must be stopped."

"...Yayoi," Kain asked. "Do you know anything about 'Envy'?"

Everyone looked a bit confused, while Tsubaki, along with Hikari and Burai looked greatly surprised.

"How do you know Envy!?" Tsubaki asked.

"...The guy paid me a visit last night," Kain said. "First five seconds, and he almost made me suffocate. Damnit, if you have any intel on him, tell me now."

He looked at Hikari and Burai.

"And judging from your expressions," Kain said. "You two know something two. Right?"

"Truthfully," Hikari said. "I don't remember anything about him."

"Same here, bro," Burai said. "But if it's worth anything, he's the reason you're in this mess, Kain."

"Figured that much," Kain said. "Anything else?"

"Envy..." Tsubaki said. Just saying his name is pure distress for her. "From all I can figure out, Envy allied himself with Terumi and Relius, but it's obvious that he is plotting against them. Why do you ask?"

"...The bastard is probably targeting me and Iris," Kain said. "Why me, is obvious...but I don't get why he's targeting Iris."

"...Furthermore, I don't see how this woman is involved in any of this," Jin said coldly. "She's merely a bystander at best."

Jin glared at Iris, who only looked nervous. Kain went in and defended her.

"...At this point, does it really matter?" Kain asked. "The fact that Envy's targeting her means that she has a purpose. So she's involved in this."

"Kain..." Iris said happily, since he defended her, much to Hikari's grimace.

"But first," Kain said. "Where the hell's Kokonoe?"

"She back at her lab," Tager said.

"Great, doesn't even have the nerve of showing up," Kain mumbled. "C'mon Iris."

Kain got up to find Kokonoe, with Iris following him. Tsubaki tried to stop them for some reason, but she decided not to. With them gone, they shifted their attention to Azrael.

* * *

"What?" Azrael asked.

"Why did you help us try to restrain Kain?" Tager asked. "Was it because he was the Black Beast?"

"So someone actually has some brains under all of that useless bulk," Azrael retorted. "Yeah that's right. I don't care about what happens to any of you...I only wanted to fight him for myself."

"You mad dog..." Tager said. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Heh! Then all the more to fight him," Azrael retorted. "Any battle's livelier if they cost you your life."

The two brutes glared at each other, until Azrael headed out of the room.

"Where are you going!?" Tager asked.

"Out!" Azrael yelled.

Azrael slammed the door open, then left. In the midst, Tsubaki looked a bit uneasy.

"Tsubaki?" Noel asked. "What's wrong?"

"Eh!? No...it's just..." Tsubaki stammered nervously.

"You want to make amends with Kain and Iris, right?" Jin asked.

"Ah!" Tsubaki exclaimed. "...Yes..."

"Then come on!" Makoto exclaimed cheerfully.

She grabbed Tsubaki's hand and the two ran after Kain. As Noel went after them, Jin stopped her.

"Wait, Vermillion," Jin said.

"Huh? Y-Yes? Major Kisaragi?" Noel asked.

"...If you're going to make amends with her," Jin advised. "Now would be the best time."

"Eh?"

Jin only drank some water.

"After this," Jin said. "I'm going to leave Sector Seven, and Tsubaki's coming with me."

"Really?" Noel asked.

"Do you have any problems?"

"Ah! No sir!" Noel exclaimed. "I'm just wondering, why?"

"Because I feel like it," Jin only stated. "So if you have any amends to make, you should do them now."

"...I see," Noel said. "...Thank you, Major."

As Noel left, Jin put down his drink.

"I don't recall doing something to get thanked for," Jin said. "...Honestly...you are such a fool..."

* * *

Kain entered Kokonoe's room to find her and Jubei once again.

"Jesus, don't you ever knock!?" Kokonoe yelled angrily.

"Yeesh, sorry damn," Kain said. "What's going on here?"

"None of your damn business, alright!?" Kokonoe yelled.

"The hell's up with you?" Kain asked.

"Well there, Kain," Jubei said. "Ya feelin' better?"

"Yeah," Kain said. "I feel better than ever!"

"Good!" Jubei said. "Good to hear! Now if you excuse me."

Jubei made his leave, as Kain and Iris entered.

"So? What do you want now?" Kokonoe asked.

_The hell's up with her? She's acting more pissy than usual._

"Do you mind scanning Iris?" Kain asked.

The two looked pretty surprised and confused.

"Kain?" Iris asked.

"She doesn't feel that peachy, and I don't think it's just a cold or something," Kain said. "It might be some worth looking into."

"...Very well then..." Kokonoe said. "Get over here."

Iris followed Kokonoe to a table where she lied on. As Kokonoe started the scan, Kain found himself a chair to rest on.

"...I heard from Iris about yesterday," Kain said.

Kokonoe didn't respond to him.

"Pretty sneaky if you ask me," Kain said. "Trying to gain my trust to control the Black Beast. Your vendetta with Terumi that big?"

Kokonoe suddenly glared at him.

"As if you could understand!" Kokonoe yelled.

Kain shut up, since he found it too much of a mental wound for her to go into.

"...If you gonna try to manipulate the Black Beast," Kain said. "You could've at least asked."

"Do you really think that you would have agreed if I asked you?" Kokonoe asked.

"I guess you're right there," Kain said. "But it couldn't hurt to at least try. You need more compassion, Kokonoe."

"Compassionate? Me?" Kokonoe asked. "You're kidding me."

"No," Kain said. "You're already good-looking as it is. If you had a good personality, I'm pretty sure you would be a bit popular with the guys."

Kokonoe sort of blushed at that remark, much to Iris' surprise and grimace.

"Uh, Professor?" Iris interrupted angrily. "Do you mind telling me if there's anything wrong?"

"Huh? Oh right," Kokonoe said.

Kain didn't understand Iris' sudden anger, but seemed to be a bit scared of it. As they looked at the results, they were shocked to see what they found out.

"What the–!?" Kokonoe exclaimed.

"The hell's this!?" Kain exclaimed.

"What?" Iris asked worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

"...This reading?" Kokonoe said. "It's like Kain's Blood Scythe!?"

Iris looked confused as she got off the table.

"How's that possible?" Iris asked. "I'm not a fighter. And I don't possess any Ars Magus that could do that."

"I don't think that's the problem," Kokonoe said. "First of all, that Blood Scythe is no ordinary weapon."

"So you scanned my weapon?" Kain asked. "What did you find?"

"Your sword's packing some power," Kokonoe said. "Is all I can say."

"Huh?"

"Look at this," Kokonoe said as she showed Kain the results to his swords analysis. It showed extremely high Ars Magus aptitude, the stored seithr level is beyond the limit of the calculations, and there doesn't see any signs of irregularities towards the user's mental health.

"That sword is definitely not a Nox Nyctores," Kokonoe said. "But it's something more powerful."

"More powerful than a Nox?" Kain asked. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"How the hell should I know?" Kokonoe shot back. "I'm just surprised as you are."

As Kain was staring at it, he did remember something.

"Wait," Kain said. "I remember this thing being called a 'Theios Anima Arma'..."

"'Theios Anima Arma'? Damn, what a mouthful..." Kokonoe responded. "I never heard of anything like that. Where'd you hear that?"

Kain didn't respond to her, so she left it as that.

"Anyway," Kokonoe said. "What's more important... check out what the catalyst is for this thing."

Kokonoe showed Kain the most crucial part of the results. There was a bunch of numbers and levels, which led ultimately to one classified term being shown as a result.

"!? The Azure!?" Kain exclaimed. "Are you telling me that the Azure made this!?"

"I don't even know how that's possible," Kokonoe said. "...But the data doesn't lie."

"So in short, this thing's an overpowered Nox created by the Azure?"

"Pretty much."

Kain stared at the sword.

"Is that why it just suddenly came to me that day?" Kain asked. "...God this is too much of a mystery to solve on our own."

"We need more data to truly figure out what the hell it is..." Kokonoe said. "But judging from this, I'm guessing that Iris is harboring one of those super Noxs."

"How? She doesn't have the Azure..."

"But she's been with you since day 1," Kokonoe pointed out. "And if you haven't noticed, you've been flaunting the damn sucker around like a parade float; being able to take out Tager, Jin, even Azrael. And she even gave you a big old hug while you were the Black Beast. It's pretty obvious that she must have been affected by the Azure through all that contact."

"So she's pretty much making a Theios Anima Arma as we speak?" Kain asked.

"Yep, pretty much," Kokonoe stated casually. "If you want to put it simply, that weapon that she's making is in a sense, you two's baby."

The two became flustered quickly as Kokonoe snickered.

"L-let's put that aside," Kain stammered.

"S-S-S-S-So...h-h-how am I even making this weapon?" Iris stammered.

"I don't know..." Kokonoe grunted. "We'll just have to find out."

Iris got off the table, seeing no point in the examination with all that information, and got next to Kain.

"So, do you know what kind of weapon it's going to be?" Iris asked.

"Nope," Kokonoe said. "That's for you to find out."

"I see..." Iris said, looking a little worried. Kain patted her head.

"Don't worry about it."

"...Okay..."

"Oh I got some good news for you two," Kokonoe said as they were about to leave. "Ragna the Bloodedge was seen heading for Ibukido."

The two practically jumped when Kokonoe said that.

"Seriously!?" Kain exclaimed.

"Looks like your stay here paid off," Kokonoe said.

The two looked at each other with joy and headed out, only to run into Tsubaki.

* * *

"! Kain...Iris..." Tsubaki said.

"! Major Yayoi..." Iris said nervously.

"What do you want?" Kain asked menacingly, getting in front of Iris.

"C'mon," Makoto said from behind, while nudging at Tsubaki's back. Tsubaki looked a little nervous.

"...I...wanted to apologize...for all of the bad things I did to you two..." Tsubaki said nervously.

"Eh!?" Kain and Iris exclaimed surprisingly.

"It was my fault that you two are now wanted criminals," Tsubaki said. "...and I unjust fully called you two criminals even though you two were innocent. I don't expect you two to forgive me..."

"Major..." Iris said. "...I forgive you..."

"Eh?" Tsubaki asked.

"Iris?" Kain asked.

"No matter what," Iris said. "I can't stay mad at you...you are my idol, Major Yayoi."

"Iris..." Tsubaki said.

"Kain," Iris said. "What about you?"

Kain glare at Tsubaki, then looked back at Iris, then finally sighed.

"Fine," Kain groaned. "But betray us, and you're as good as dead."

Tsubaki looked relieved as Iris took her hand.

"Let's defeat Terumi together!" Iris exclaimed.

"Iris..." Tsubaki said, then smiled.

"All righty then!" Makoto exclaimed, hugging them. "Let's go and kick that jerk's ass together!"

They all smiled and rejoiced.

"All that's missing is..." Makoto said.

And as on cue, Noel showed up in the lab.

"What's going on here?" Noel asked.

"Get in here!" Makoto exclaimed playfully as she grabbed Noel and got her into the group hug.

"Waah! What the!?" Noel exclaimed.

Kain only sighed.

* * *

A few moments later, Kain and Iris was outside Sector Seven, getting ready to leave.

"Alright then," Kain said. "Let's get going."

Iris nodded in response.

"Wait!" a voice called out. As the two were about to leave, they looked to see Noel, running up to them.

"Noel?" Kain asked.

"I want to come with you two!" Noel said.

"Huh? Why?" Kain asked.

"I want to meet up with Ragna," Noel said. "I need to talk to him about something, anyway."

"...Okay," Kain said. "What do you think, Iris?"

"I don't mind," Iris said. "It'll be pretty fun and having her on the team would make traveling much easier."

"Alright then," Kain said. "Welcome aboard, Noel."

It looks like everyone else seemed to have shown up as well.

"So, what're you guys going to do?" Kain asked.

"I'm going to depart from here," Jin said. "And I'm taking Tsubaki and Burai with me."

"Huh? Really, Jin?" Tsubaki asked excitedly.

"Sure," Jin only replied.

"Wait, why do I have to go!?" Burai yelled.

"Think of it as a power balance," Jin said. "Kain's group is good enough as it is...plus your speed would be useful."

"...Fine..." Burai groaned.

"Master..." Jin said to Jubei.

"Alright," Jubei said. "Let's go then."

"I'd love to come along with you guys," Makoto said to Kain. "...but I need to stay here with Tager and Kokonoe."

"Of course you do," Kokonoe said. "I can't have all of my operatives wandering off."

Hikari and Burai went up to Kain.

"You coming too?" Kain asked.

"Of course!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt," Kain said, much to Iris grimace.

"Let's go then," Kain said. But as Kain turned to leave, someone grabbed his head and lifted him up in the air.

"What the-!?" Kain yelled.

"Wait there, twerp," a gruff voice said.

"!? Azrael!?" everyone exclaimed.

"What!? Who!?" Kain yelled in surprise and turned to see him. "Who the hell's this muscle head!?"

"Hey, kid," Azrael said. "You said you were gonna look for Ragna the Bloodedge?"

"Y...Yes..." Kain said uneasily.

"Hmmm...From what I've heard," Azrael said. "You already managed to defeat Red Devil, the Hero of Ikaruga, and managed to wipe the floor with the rest of them... including me."

"Your point?"

"...I see..." Azrael said. "...I'm coming along with you."

"What!? Why!?" Kain yelled.

"Hmph, of course to help you find Ragna the Bloodedge," Azrael stated.

"Seriously?" Kain asked.

"You're only imposing this," Jin said. "So that you can fight him yourself. You couldn't care less about them."

"Maybe," Azrael admitted. "But the kid is a different story."

"Me!?" Kain asked.

"You beat all of them," Azrael said "And you're the Black Beast. It ought to be more interesting traveling with you than be stuck here under a leash."

Kain looked a little uneasy.

_Wait...on second thought...this guy's power could be of some use...not to mention I could use another guy on the team..._

"...Fine..." Kain said. "Azrael, was it? You can come along too."

"Heh! Now we're talking!" Azrael exclaimed.

"Wait, Kain!" Tager warned him. "I'd recommend that you don't take him with you."

"Oh now what?" Kain asked irritably.

"Do you know what Azrael's known as?" Tager asked. "...he's known as the 'Mad Dog'! In battle, he'll attack friend and foe indiscriminately just for his amusement!"

Kain seemed a bit intrigued, and looked at an eager Azrael.

"...I guess high risk," Kain said. "Comes with high reward..."

"Hahaha!" Azrael boomed. "I like you, kid!"

Azrael let him go and patted him on the back, although it ended in a slam in the back.

"Well then," Kokonoe said. "Since we apparently managed to set up the party members, allow me to escort you out of here."

With a push of a button, Kain's group and Jin's group were surrounded by a magic barrier, teleporting them elsewhere.

"Good luck, Noel, Tsubaki..." Makoto said. "Don't push yourselves."

"As for you two," Kokonoe addressed. The two remaining operatives turned to hear what their boss has to say. "You two are to head out back to Wadatsumi."

"Huh? Why?" Makoto asked.

"Because there seemed to be some freak surge of seithr that occurred last night, and it seems to be in Wadatsumi now."

"Alright then!" Makoto answered.

"Understood," Tager said.

"Good, now get going!" Kokonoe yelled.

The two headed off to Wadatsumi, leaving Kokonoe all by herself.

"Hmph..." Kokonoe said. "Now then...time to make my preparations...But...I can't believe she's still..."

* * *

At Wadatsumi, Claude's group finally reached Wadatsumi, but were all worn out.

"We finally made it..." Claude said, breathing heavily. Sieg handed him a water bottle, which he accepted. "Thanks." Claude drank from the bottle until it became empty.

"We would have made it sooner…" Carl said. "If those two didn't spend all night battling each other..."

"Yes..." Bang said. "Not to mention that super move that Miss Mary pulled off."

The four turned to Mary and Platinum, who were like complete rags, tired out and worn out.

* * *

_The battle took place last night..._

* * *

Mary and Platinum ended up brawling with each other.

"Calm down you two!" Carl exclaimed.

"Mary, cool it!" Claude exclaimed.

"Shut it, Claude!" Mary yelled. "This is girl talk! Don't but into it!"

"She's right, ya gay freak!" Luna yelled. "This is between girls!"

"Who the hell're you calling 'gay'!?" Claude yelled. "Mary! Beat the living shit out of her!"

"C-Claude...?" Carl asked surprised. "Calm down!"

"Now now, Sir Carl," Bang said. "Let's see this one out."

"Mr. Bang!" Carl exclaimed.

"Come now," Bang said. "Do you think you can stop this now?"

He looked at the situation, and indeed this was one situation that he could not stop.

"Fine..." Carl said. "Let's just hope they don't take it too far..."

As Mary was pulling off lightning quick jabs at Platinum, Platinum was flinging her staff around, trying to land a hit.

"He he! Too slow!" Mary mocked.

"Grr! Don't mock Luna!" Luna yelled as she shot some missiles at Mary. Mary only dodged the missiles and went in for a dive.

"Pegasus Bomber!" Mary dived at Platinum and slammed a quick and powerful jab shaped like a diving winged horse, making her bounce off the ground. She then proceeded to jab her in the air, forcing Platinum into a defensive state.

"Leo Upriser!" Mary unleashed an uppercut shaped like a lion that sent Platinum soaring. As Mary landed on the ground on her feet, Platinum crashed to the ground.

"Heh!" Mary smirked. "Now to finish this!"

As Mary walked towards to Platinum, she found herself stepping on a present box.

"Huh?" Mary asked. Suddenly Mary was flying with a sudden spring from the box. From where Platinum crashed, she suddenly rocketed out of there on a surfing board.

"Mami Circular!"

Platinum rammed Mary with her surfboard, sending her crashing through the ground. Platinum jumped off her board, then slammed Mary with her staff with a huge cat head.

"Now who's talking!?" Luna yelled.

From under her feet, Mary kicked Platinum off and charged her gauntlet.

"Take this!"

Mary unleashed a straight, yet extremely fast punch that hit hard, driving Platinum into a debris.

"I'm not done yet!" Mary yelled as she charged at Platinum. "DRACO RAMPAGE!"

Mary upper-cutted Platinum with a dragon-like fist, then slammed her fist down, and finally slammed Platinum into the wall.

"Well, Miss Mary is quite the fighter!" Bang complimented.

"Of course!" Claude said. "If there's anything Mary's good at, it's fighting."

"You bitch!" Platinum yelled as she got up. "Luna'll show you! MIRACLE JEANNE!"

Platinum made a pose, where her staff started to glow radiantly.

"I'm gonna beat you!" Platinum yelled as she lifted her staff, releasing a distortion that seemed to have stopped time.

"If that's how you're gonna play!" Mary yelled. "Then I'll go for it too!"

Mary lifted her fist in the air, releasing a similar distortion, as her gauntlets glowed violently.

"Take this!" Mary and Platinum yelled. Mary kept releasing a flurry of overcharged powerful punches at Platinum, while Platinum kept slamming her with a lion shaped staff, until they reached a stalemate. Eventually, the distortion wore off, where the two were left worn out.

"This is gonna get us nowhere..." Mary said tired.

"Let's settle this with one last swoop..." Platinum suggested tired.

"Geh! I have a bad feeling about this..." Claude said.

Platinum charged energy into her staff and aimed it at Mary.

"**SHINING LAYERED FORCE!**" Platinum shot a strong laser at Mary, but she just dodged it and ran up to her.

"Heh! You call that a one-hit kill!?" Mary yelled. "Hah! That's blasphemy! I'll show you a true one-hit kill!"

Mary drove her fist up in Platinum's face, driving her up into the heavens. Mary jumped after her and jumped on her, sending her down back to the ground, and fell down like a meteor after her.

"**STARGAZER METEOR BUSTER!**" Mary yelled as she struck down on Platinum just as she bounced off the ground, driving her into the ground, and releasing an explosion the size of a hierarchical city.

"Isn't that going overboard!?" Carl yelled.

"What magnificent force!" Bang yelled.

"Mary stop you're going overboard!" Claude yelled.

Their screams were drowned out in the explosion, where one and only one scream could be heard.

"THIS IS TRUE POWER, BITCH!"

* * *

_Returning to present day._

* * *

"I'm so worn out..." Mary murmured.

"You idiot..." Platinum murmured.

They all laughed nervously at them.

"Well we managed to reach Wadatsumi," Carl said.

"There should be a path that leads to Ibukido somewhere here," Bang said. "But where...?"

"Hm..." Claude said.

"Hey there, young vigilantes," a jaunty voice addressed them.

They turned to see an androgynous man with azure eyes and violet hair tied in a bun. He wore an effeminate pink and red kimono along with dark pink eye shadows and red had a pink scarf that seemed to be levitating on its own.

"Who may you be?" Carl asked.

"Me?" the man asked. "My name's Amane. More importantly, I want to ask you two something."

The man known as Amane pointed at Carl and Claude.

"Me?" Claude asked.

"Um...what can we do for you?" Carl asked.

"I'll get straight to the point," Amane said. "How would you two like to join my troupe?"

"Come again?" Claude asked.

"I'm looking for some young and handsome men to join my troupe," Amane explained. "And I heard some rumors that a cute and young vigilante was heading to Ikaruga, so I came all this way to find you."

"When did you get this kind of fan-base?" Claude asked Carl.

"I–I don't know..." Carl said uneasily.

"I intended to find you, Carl Clover," Amane said. "But to think that I would also find such a handsome and beautiful man with you!"

"How the hell am I considered gay," Claude asked. "When there's someone like this!?"

"So basically..." Carl said, ignoring Claude. "You want us to join your troupe."

"Exactly," Amane said. "So? What do you say?"

"...I think we'll pass..." Carl said uneasily.

As they tried to leave, Amane got in their way.

"Sorry there," Amane said. "But I can't just let such perfection just waltz away so easily."

"I'm not sure whether I should be flattered or scared..." Claude whispered.

"So what will you do then?" Carl asked cautiously, signaling Nirvana.

"You two may be handsome and beautiful..." Amane said. "But you two are also vigilantes."

He waved his arm in an elegant fashion.

"Let's see just how strong you two are," Amane said.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else in Wadatsumi, Makoto and Tager were investigating the site that they have previously investigated.

"So she wanted us to look for a huge seithr source?" Makoto asked Tager.

"Indeed," Tager said. "Although I don't know what she could be talking about. At this rate, this seithr source could be anything."

As they looked around, Makoto saw something.

"Hey Tager," Makoto said. "Look!"

He looked beyond the distance to see that someone was unconscious.

"What the?" Tager asked. "Who is she?"

"Never mind that!" Makoto yelled. "She's injured!"

They quickly rushed over to help the injured woman up. She had white hair, dark skin, large breasts, possibly larger than Makoto's, and a scar over her nose. She was heavily wounded and bleeding everywhere.

"Holy crap!" Makoto exclaimed. "She needs medical attention fast!"

"Kokonoe!" Tager quickly contacted. "Can you transport some medical equipment? There's a heavily wounded civilian who needs it now!"

"Huh? Sure, whatever," Kokonoe said nonchalantly. Within seconds, a medical kit transported near Tager. Fortunately, it was big enough for Tager to work with. He got the kit, opened it, and started to treat the woman's wounds.

"Do you even know how to do this!?" Makoto asked.

"Let me work!" Tager yelled.

Soon enough, the woman's wounds were treated, allowing Makoto to sigh in relief.

"I've managed to stop the bleeding," Tager said. "But she shouldn't move for a while."

"Okay then..." Makoto said.

The woman started to wake up from all the ruckus.

"Huh...?" she asked.

"Oh! You're awake!" Makoto exclaimed.

"What...?" she asked. She looked up to Makoto and Tager, although the minute she saw Tager, she became startled.

"Red Devil!" she exclaimed and jumped back from them. She tried to lift her arms, but the pain was too great.

"Whoa! Calm down!" Makoto exclaimed.

"You two..." she said. "You're both from Sector Seven, aren't you!?"

"...A mercenary..." Tager said.

"What a perfect opportunity..." the woman said. "You two are gonna start–guh!"

The woman fell to the ground in her pain.

"Whoa! You need to calm down!" Makoto exclaimed. The woman looked at her wounds and saw that they were treated.

"Did you two do this?" she asked.

"More like I did," Tager said. "I don't know what kind of grudge you have against us, but for now, you need to ease yourself. Your body is in no condition to fight."

The woman just muttered something and sat on the ground.

"Now, can you tell us what happened?" Tager asked. "How did you end up in this situation? Were you on a mission?"

The woman didn't respond.

"What's your name?" Makoto asked.

The woman looked up to Makoto.

"...Bullet..." she responded.

"Bullet, huh," Makoto said. "Now, can you tell us who did this to you? Please?"

Bullet looked at Makoto a little surprised, then smiled a little.

"You're a nice kid," Bullet said. "Can't believe you're working for Sector Seven."

"Hey, it's at least better than the NOL," Makoto joked.

"I guess..." Bullet said. "...Relius Clover..."

The two looked shocked at the name. Relius Clover. The Mad Puppeteer. A man that they have crossed paths with before, and wish to never do so again.

"He did this!?" Makoto asked angrily.

Bullet nodded.

"It happened last night..." she explained.

* * *

_Last night._

* * *

Bullet suddenly attacked Relius with her gauntlet, but Relius' puppet defended him.

"The hell!?" Bullet yelled.

"Hmph, such barbaric tactics..." Relius said as he summoned a puppet-like hand come out of Relius' mantle and punched her.

"Id Lauger."

Relius summoned a huge mechanical hand from the ground and blew Bullet away. As she was in the sky, the puppet appeared above her and struck down on Bullet like a drill.

"Naiads."

As Bullet flew to the ground, she rolled back from him.

"You're strong," Bullet said.

"Come now," Relius commented bored. "We've only started."

"Tch! Flint Shooter!"

Bullet shot a fire projectile from the ground at Relius, where the puppet only erased it with its claws.

"Ignis," Relius said. "Go play with the mercenary."

The puppet known as Ignis assaulted Bullet with no hesitation, forcing her to fend off against its vicious attacks.

"Damn it! I need some distance..." Bullet said. She backed up from Ignis, but Relius appeared from behind.

"Fool," Relius said as he launched a mechanical green hand launched low, getting Bullet down on her knees.

"Haas."

Ignis rushed at Bullet like a chainsaw, sending her crashing into the ground. As Ignis returned to Relius' side, Bullet jumped out of the ground and struck at Relius with great speed. Ignis couldn't keep up, as Bullet grabbed Relius and pummeled him to the ground. She seemed to have heated up after the assault. But as soon as Bullet was done, Ignis struck at Bullet with her claw.

"Kuh!" Bullet muttered. "I'm not done yet!"

Bullet got back on her feet and glared at Relius.

"Aren't you going to 'force me to tell you', was it?" Relius asked, taunting Bullet.

"You bastard!" Bullet yelled as he kicked Relius.

"SERPENTINE ASSAULT!"

Bullet jumped off him, sliding along the ground. She then delivered two strong punches and a blast from her gauntlet.

"FRANGIBLE: ENGAGE!"

She continued her assault by dragginr Relius backwards and shot him in the air for another two hits.

"BLACKOUT!"

Bullet finished it off by shooting Relius into the ground 5 more times. AS she got off, Relius struggled to get back up.

"How's that!?" Bullet yelled.

Relius simply snapped his fingers, where Ignis suddenly appeared in front of her.

"VOL TEDO."

Ignis created an aura around Bullet and struck her. The hit confined her in the aura and formed a ball, and she exploded.

"Gah!" she yelped.

As Bullet flew back, Relius got back up as Ignis quickly pursued Bullet.

"DUO BIOS."

Ignis started to slaughter Bullet in a barrage of strikes, where Ignis finished her off with a strong jab. Bullet crashed across the field and slid across the ground. She tried to get back up, but the pain was too much.

"I guess that's all it can handle..." Relius said. "Hmph...What a pathetic soul...I knew it was worthless time wasted..."

Relius simply turned his back on the bloody Bullet, and made his leave, but a voice in his head interrupted him.

"_Excuse me, Colonel..." _a voice rang.

"...Envy..." Relius said. "What is it?"

"_Well I don't mean to interrupt your precious research," _Envy said. _"But your pet here is starting to get overly excited on the sample we acquired."_

"Pet?" Relius asked curiously.

"_Yes, pet," _Envy said. _"You know...simple mask, full of bugs, in short a living pile of sludge."_

"Ah, you mean him..." Relius said.

"_He's starting to go crazy..." _Envy said. _"And I must leave soon...so what should I do with him?"_

"Leave him be," Relius said. "It will not matter."

"_I see then..." _Envy said. _"Well then, good luck with your part."_

Envy's voice started to disappear.

"I see," Relius said. "...I forgot that I had such a thing at my disposal. Well I guess we'll just see how he does with that."

With that, Relius departed, leaving Bullet to die.

* * *

_Present day._

* * *

"...And once I realized it," Bullet explained. "I woke up here."

"That Relius!" Makoto growled. "That douche is the worst!"

"Tch...If only I had destroyed that puppet first..." Bullet said.

"That conversation he had with Envy concerns me..." Tager said. "Is it...Arakune...?"

"Arakune?" Bullet asked. "What the hell is that?"

"Oh, nothing..." Tager said.

"So, what will you do now?" Makoto asked.

"For now..." Bullet said. "I guess I have no choice but to rest here until these wounds heal up."

"How about you come with us?" Makoto asked. "It's pretty fun!"

"...I guess I have no other option..." Bullet said.

So Bullet decided to travel with Makoto and Tager until her wounds heal.

"So, what're you guys supposed to be doing?" Bullet asked.

"We were looking for a huge seithr source that appeared around here," Makoto explained. "But we don't know where to look."

"Fine," Bullet said. "Then how about over there?"

She pointed to a scene, where a battle seemed to be occurring. From the distance, Makoto could see two puppets, along with their two masters.

"Is that..." Makoto said. "Carl!?"

Makoto suddenly rocketed towards the scene, leaving Tager and Bullet in the dust.

"What the-!? Hey! Makoto!" Tager yelled, rushing after her. Bullet only sighed and followed Tager.

* * *

Jin and his group found themselves back at the grassy road where Burai and Jin first met.

"We're here?" Jin asked.

"So, where do we go now?" Burai asked.

"Well, Jin here still needs to learn how to completely control his Yukianesa," Jubei said.

"Control the Yukianesa?" Tsubaki asked.

"Yeah..." Jin said coldly.

'_So he didn't know how to fully use it now...?' _Burai thought. _'Just how strong is he?'_

"For now," Jubei said. "We'll head to Ibukido, while you learn how to use the sword."

Jin nodded in agreement.

"'Kay then," Burai said.

As they headed out, Burai suddenly stopped.

"Burai?" Tsubaki asked.

"What's the matter?" Jubei asked.

"...Oh you've got to be kidding me..." Burai said with remorse.

He suddenly took out his daggers to intercept a sudden attack from a blade of moonlight. The wielder of the blade had red hair and was glaring at Burai with cold green eyes.

"What the hell're you doin'? ItsukI?" Burai asked.

"...Burai..." Itsuki said. "Out of my way..."

Itsuki backed off from Burai, as everyone took out their weapons.

"Who's him?" Tsubaki asked.

"...he's my 'friend'," Burai said.

"Doesn't seem like he's your friend," Jin said.

Itsuki glared at the group as he wielded his sword.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Burai yelled. "We're friends!"

"I know..." Itsuki said. "Which is why I'm asking you to move. My target is Jin Kisaragi."

"What!?" Burai yelled.

"Me?" Jin asked. "Are you serious?"

"Yo! What're you thinking!?" Burai yelled. "He's–!"

"I'm not gonna kill him..." Itsuki said. "I'm not stupid. I'm only here to test his skills."

"!? This feeling..." Jin said. "Burai...your 'friend' here is under the influence of the 'Mind Eater'."

"!? Seriously...!?" Burai asked. "Damn it...Itsuki! Snap out of it!"

"I just want to see if he's just as good as Ragna the Bloodedge!" Itsuki exclaimed, purposely trying to get Jin's attention. The name Ragna rung in his ears.

"You...have fought Ragna?" Jin asked.

Itsuki nodded.

"...Interesting..." Jin said. "If you're looking for me...then I'll face you!"

"Just what I want..." Itsuki said gleefully.

As Itsuki approached Jin, Burai got in the way.

"Burai, don't get in the way..." Jin said. "This is my fight..."

"But, Jin!" Burai protested, but Tsubaki stopped him.

"Let him," she said. "I'm sure he will be fine."

With much hesitation, Burai allowed Jin to fight Itsuki.

"To think that Ragna the Bloodedge would give an obstacle like you the time of day..." Jin said.

"Let's just hope you don't suck as much as he did at first," Itsuki taunted.

Without hesitation, Jin struck at Itsuki with his blade of ice. Itsuki defended himself with his blade of moonlight.

"Your life..." Jin said. "...is forfeit!"

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else, Envy and Phantom were preparing to leave. There was a huge ball of seithr floating in the room, where a black blob seemed to be sitting in front of it.

"Hey, Arakune!" Envy called out. "We're heading out now!"

The blob called Arakune did not respond. It only stared at the seithr orb.

"...Oh well..." Envy said. "Shall we go then? Phantom?"

Phantom said nothing.

"...Still..." Envy said. "Who knew people would be interested in this of all things...it's just waste produced by the Paradigm...worst case scenario, it erases a city...so what?"

Envy looked at the huge orb of seithr. The size of it was incomparable than the one that Kain absorbed.

"...We better start hastening the process, at least..." Envy said.

With that, Envy and Phantom disappeared, leaving Arakune by himself.

"Who w th t n? That had no or," Arakune said. He was so disoriented, that even his speech was too hard to understand. "F m him, I lled the Azure. I c d ha e ten him, but h 's too fa ar th th . It uld on br g lems. S h a ance..."

Arakune stared at the seithr orb.

"This is..." he said. "This is the si to c te ruction. What th t n sa d ut the igm has wo ied. Wh not e any lor from that t g? What was t? W t was it? What it? KEEHEHEHEHEH! ...Lit chi...run...from here..."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN: **Well, wasn't that a long chapter. Sorry about that, but every crucial event counted here. So Kain manages to get an almost complete harem team, if it wasn;t for Azrael. Itsuki suddenly assaulted Jin and Tsubaki. Let's hope it doesn't lead to 'complications'. And Amane's trying to recruit Carl and Claude.

And here's more OC drive/overdrive discussion

Mary

Drive: Stardust Knuckle: Allows Mary to pull off a devastating blow, but the neergy required can only be charged by movement. The more she moves, the stronger it gets.

Overdrive: Stardust Spirit: Temporarily puts Mary's drive in a permanent max level.

See ya next time and don't forget to review!


	12. Chapter 12: Powder Keg

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 12: Powder Keg**

* * *

**AN: **And here I thought that the last chapter was long. Here's chapter 12 to Chrono Paradigm, with so much more action!

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

* * *

_Where the hell are we!?_

_Damn it Kokonoe..._

_If you're gonna teleport us then at least tell us where we'll end up!_

_...I guess we'll just have to find out..._

* * *

Kain's group landed in a blockaded district. As they landed, they looked around at the rubble.

"Where are we?" Kain asked.

"Looks like we managed to land just outside of Ibukido," Azrael said.

"The blockaded district," Iris said. "At this rate, if we manage to get through this, then we can reach Ibukido."

"But, what about Ragna?" Noel asked.

"...Is there a way to find out if he's even reached Ibukido?" Kain asked.

They thought about it for a moment, and then Iris came up with an idea.

"Ah! I got it!" Iris exclaimed. She reached into her pocket and took out a transceiver.

"What's that?" Kain asked.

"It's for communication when I was still in the Zero Squadron," Iris said. "If we can manage to pick up a signal, then maybe we can figure out if Ragna had entered Ibukido yet."

As she wired the communicator, she started to pick up signals from the town, as radio static started to appear. Soon, she managed to pick up some transmissions from the other members patrolling the city.

"Bingo!" Iris said. "Now let's see what's going on..."

"Won't you get caught?" Noel asked.

"As long as we don't say anything," Iris assured her. "We can listen to all of their conversations without them noticing."

"Well, isn't this a useful trick," Kain said. "Kudos, Iris."

"Th...Thanks..." Iris said blushing, much to Hikari's scowl.

After an hour listening to the conversations, they found no reports on Ragna the Bloodedge entering the premises.

"So he's not there?" Noel asked.

"Which means he hasn't arrived yet," Kain said. "Or he's managed to hide in Ibukido without Zero Squadron noticing."

"We could try finding him there," Hikari said.

"But we're already wanted fugitives," Kain said. "Plus, I'm pretty sure the 'Mad Dog' here will stand out."

"So what're we gonna do?" Azrael asked.

"The only option we have," Kain said. "Is to test our luck and wait for Ragna to show up."

While Kain and Azrael discussed the situation, Hikari came up to Iris.

"Hey, Iris..." Hikari asked. "You love Kain, don't you?"

Iris suddenly became flustered.

"Wha!? I-I-I-I-It's nothing l-l-l-l-like that!" Iris exclaimed. "I-I-I-I-I-I-I ju-just um...ah..."

As such Iris was panicking in her embarrassment.

"Huh?" Kain asked. "You said something? Iris?"

"Huh!? No! N-Nothing...!" Iris stammered. Kain shrugged it off and continued his conversation with Azrael.

"You love him, don't you...?" Hikari asked.

"...Y...yes..." Iris admitted.

"Hm...Well I don't mind," Hikari said. "But I'm going to make this clear."

"Huh?" Iris asked.

"I love Kain more than you do!" Hikari declared.

"Heh?" Iris asked.

"Did you say something? Hikari?" Kain asked.

"Nothing!" Hikari responded. Kain shrugged it off.

"I-I don't think that this has anything to do with this..." Iris said. "Anyway, why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"

"Since we're stuck waiting for Ragna the Bloodedge," Hikari said. "I figured this is as good as any time to settle this."

"S-Settle?" Iris asked.

"Settle who loves Kain more," Hikari said.

"Eh!?" Iris exclaimed. "...I-I see..."

"I get how Kain could fall in love with you," Hikari said. "But I've known him longer than you!"

"I-I don't think time has to do with anything," Iris argued. "I think that the relationship is more important than the amount of time you spent."

"If that's the case," Hikari rebutted. "Then I have a much bigger lead! My relationship with Kain is much deeper than yours!"

"But, Kain doesn't remember you," Iris argued. "So in terms of relationship, you're back at square one! I have a better relationship since I know Kain since he showed up in Ibukido!"

As the two glared at each other, Noel took notice to that.

"What's going on?" Noel asked.

The two jumped to see Noel butting into the conversation.

"Ah forget this!" Hikari growled. "Miss Noel! Who do you think loves Kain more!? Me or Iris?"

"Wha-!? Hikari!?" Iris exclaimed embarrassedly.

Noel looked a bit confused, and looked at the two determined-looking girls.

"E-Even if you ask me..." Noel said uneasily. "I wouldn't be able to tell..."

"Ah forget you!" Hikari yelled frustrated. "We'll settle this once and for all!"

Hikari grabbed Iris as the two went to Kain.

"Kain!" the two exclaimed.

"Huh?" Kain asked.

As they were about to say something, Kain suddenly pushed the two away.

"Huh? Kain!?" Iris exclaimed.

Kain had a rather vicious glare on his face as he and Azrael got ready to fight.

"Something's coming," Kain said.

"So you sense it too," Azrael responded. He suddenly looked up. "There!"

The group looked up to see a large magic circle appearing above them.

* * *

The two katanas clashed against each other. Jin and Itsuki clashed at each other, trying to exploit any and every possible opening that they could find.

"Gale!"

"Gibbous Frontal Blade!"

Jin let out a vertically aimed quickdraw slash, while Itsuki slashed up in a backhand motion, canceling each other out.

"Well, so you're not that bad of a fighter," Jin said.

Itsuki said nothing and pushed Jin away of him.

"Penumbra!"

Itsuki dashed past them, while slicing him in the abdomen. Jin flinched from the pain, giving Itsuki the opening he wanted.

"Waxing Edge!"

Itsuki let off a powerful jab from behind, sending Jin into the ground.

"Jin!" Tsubaki cried.

"...How strong is the kid?" Jubei asked Burai.

"...Not as strong as some others I know," Burai said. "But in terms of strategic battle sense and attack speed, Itsuki's possibly better than Jin."

"Jin will still win!" Tsubaki argued.

"I hope..." Burai said.

"Is this really it?" Itsuki taunted. "Then I guess Ikaruga wasn't as bad as they say it was."

Jin glared at Itsuki with violent malice.

"Don't get full of yourself," Jin said. "You trash!"

Jin rushed after Itsuki with his sword. Itsuki jumped away from him, but Jin saw this coming.

"Blizzard!"

Jin threw out a turning battoujutsu slash, catching Itsuki in his retreat. As he flew into the sky, Jin raced after him, jumped and grabbed him, and froze him from behind.

"Freeze!" Jin yelled as Itsuki fell to the ground frozen. As Itsuki was falling, Jin aimed for him with another strike.

"Hizansen!" Jin shot another battoujutsu slash down, shooting Itsuki to the ground.

Itsuki rolled back up, where Jin rode a large icicle and charged at him.

"Musou Toshougeki!"

Jin crashed the icicle at Itsuki, who guarded it, then went for an outward slash.

"Fool!" Itsuki yelled as he created a barrier with his blade, taking the outward slash. Like the wind, Itsuki pushed his sword out and up, then made a swift down overhead slash at Jin, following with an outward stab.

"Gibbous Counter Blade!"

As Jin fell victim to the counterstrike, Itsuki quickly rushed at him.

"Now!" Itsuki yelled as he attempted to bring his blade to Jin's torso. But Jin countered with a vertical whipping slash, clashing with Itsuki's blade.

"You're too violent," Jin only stated. "At this rate, you will only make yourself wide open."

"Says you!" Itsuki growled.

As the two were fighting, Burai stared at Itsuki with disbelief.

'_There's something off about Itsuki...'_ Burai thought. _'Jin said something about him being under the Mind Eater? What the hell...?'_

"Hey, Jubei," Burai asked. "What's the 'Mind Eater'?"

"Simply," Jubei answered. "It's a brainwashing spell."

"Spell?" Burai asked. "Don't you mean Ars Magus?"

"No, spell," Jubei said. "It's magic."

"How the hell?" Burai asked.

Jubei didn't answer him, but only had a rather grim look on his face.

"Then that spell's obviously making him this hostile," Burai said. "Even Itsuki wouldn't be this violent...Can he break the spell on his own?"

Jubei shook his head.

"...Then someone else has to break the spell for him..." Burai said to himself. "Maybe..."

Tsubaki looked worried as Jin and Itsuki continued to try to slaughter each other. As they went on, Itsuki slipped on his feet.

"Crap!" Itsuki yelled.

Jin sought that opening and dived in.

"Take this!" Jin yelled as he widely slashed Itsuki in a flurry of slashes. Itsuki launched into the air, where Jin prepared for another strike. But as Jin aimed for him, Itsuki got back on his feet.

"Fool! Umbra Frost!" Itsuki snapped his fingers at Jin, where sparks shot out and froze Jin's arm, sealing his sword.

"What!?" Jin yelled.

"He can manipulate ice too!?" Tsubaki exclaimed.

As Jin struggled to break free, Itsuki brandished his sword.

"Engetsu Hireijin!" Itsuki let out a distortion that felt like time stopped.

"Oh crap!" Burai yelled. "That's his Overdrive!"

Itsuki dove in front of him.

"ECLIPSE SWORD STORM!" Itsuki violently slashed Jin in a flurry of strong and swift slashes, then charged ice into his foot and nailed him with his foot, breaking the ice and sending him flying. As Jin fell to the ground, Itsuki drove his sword into the sword and froze Jin in midair in a pillar of ice. He brandished his sword and glared at the frozen Jin.

"Die..." Itsuki said, leading to him widely swinging his moonlight sword up, slashing Jin and breaking him through the ice.

"Gah!" Jin gagged as he fell to the ground.

"Jin!" Tsubaki cried.

"Hmph," Itsuki scoffed victoriously.

"Hey! Itsuki!" Burai yelled. "That was too much! You're gonna kill him!"

"Shut it, Burai..." Itsuki shot back. "I won't kill him...but..."

Itsuki approached Jin.

"I will make sure he doesn't get up for a while..." Itsuki said.

As Itsuki went for the finishing strike, Tsubaki got in his way.

"I won't allow it!" Tsubaki yelled.

* * *

In an unknown space moments before Kain was teleported to the blockade district, Kidou and Hakumen were walking. It wasn't dark or light or anything. It was only pure nothing. The two couldn't even tell if they were on ground or not. The air seemed thicker than the outside.

"...Where are we?" Hakumen asked.

"Hm...How to explain that..." Kidou said. "Let's just say that it's a...'evil place'..."

"...Why have you brought me here?" Hakumen asked Kidou threateningly.

"Well, Hakumen..." Kidou said. "I told you that I have my agenda to deal with, and that it required yer' help."

"Hmph, let's just get this over with..." Hakumen said, less than pleased to be syuck with Kidou.

"Don't worry," Kidou said. "It won't take long at all. Or at least it shouldn't take that long."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hakumen asked.

Kidou pointed up to the empty sky. As Hakumen looked up, he realized that giant orbs of seithr made the black sky that hovered over them.

"What!?" Hakumen yelled. "What is this!?"

"That," Kidou said. "Is an omen."

"An omen?" Hakumen asked.

"These orbs of seithr," Kidou explained. "Ain't supposed to be here."

"Then how did they appear?" Hakumen asked.

"Simple," Kidou said. "They were created by somethin' terrible."

"What created them?" Hakumen asked.

"...Hakumen..." Kidou asked. "Do you believe that 'absolute control' truly exists?"

"Of course not," Hakumen retorted. "No matter what, there will be an opposing force. No matter who rules."

"I see..." Kidou said. "Well, after a hundred years, you just might be surprised."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hakumen asked irritated.

"Nothin'," Kidou said as he took out a large mechanical sword from his hilt and carried it with one arm. "For now, I need yer' help in erasing these orbs."

"This is not a task that you can handle by yourself?" Hakumen asked.

"There's too many," Kidou said. "Takin' them all out would take hours, even for me. Plus, we can't stay here for that long."

"Why not?"

"Because this entire area; hell the space itself," Kidou said. "Is made of complete seithr."

"...No wonder the air here was thick..." Hakumen said.

"Yep, and I'm the type of guy who avoids death by poison," Kidou said. "Although I can handle it for a while, I'd say I've only got like 5 minutes top. If ya' take away the time needed for an escape, make it 4 minutes."

"...Very well..." Hakumen said, taking out his long nodachi. "I shall aid you."

"Why, thanks a bunch!" Kidou exclaimed gleefully. The two swords man stared at the sky infested with seithr orbs.

* * *

At Wadatsumi.

Carl's Nirvana and Claude's Sieg continued to strike at Amane, who just dodged their strikes as like a dance.

"Whoa, impressive," Amane said. "But these dolls lack a bit of taste."

While Amane was dodging the puppets, Carl and Claude double-teamed on him by shooting mechanical cogs at him.

"Whoa whoa! Ganging up on me!?" Amane exclaimed. "That doesn't seem to be a bit mature, but I guess I was the one asking for it."

Amane poised for an attack, as his cloth seemed to spiral around him.

"Ninpu Sengeki: Hariken!"

Amane spiraled the cloth around him, then aimed at Carl.

"Take this!" he yelled. He drove a piece of cloth into the ground with an axe kick stomp, summoning a drill right underneath Carl.

"What the!?" Carl exclaimed as he got hit by the drill. "Guh!"

A Carl got back, Claude dove into an attack.

"Take this!" he yelled as he summoned a large cog and rammed it straight forward, hitting Amane.

"Guoh...what a strong hit," Amane said. "But, that's not gonna be enough!"

Carl got behind Amane and summoned a robot horse from his cape that dual hind kicked Amane into the air. Sieg and Nirvana raced to Amane where he was falling.

"Distruttivo!"

"Con Fuoco!"

Sieg constricted his arm and shot a strong punch, while Nirvana stabbed Aman like a drill at the same time.

"Gah!" Amane yelled.

"Nice combination!" Bang exclaimed.

"C'mon! Claude!" Mary cheered. "Don't lose to that even more obvious gay guy!"

"Hey! I'm not gay!" Amane yelled.

"C'mon, Luna!" Mary exclaimed. "Help me–!"

But as Mary looked at her, Platinum was sleeping.

"Eeehh!?" Mary yelled. "How the hell is she sleeping in a situation like this!?"

Amane got back up from the pincer attack, and attacked both of them with his drill-like cloth from both arms, sending both of them back in the air.

"Kuh! He's still tough!" Claude exclaimed.

"Indeed!" Carl exclaimed.

"Not yet!" Amane yelled as he poised with his cloth. "Jūken Dageki!"

Amane summoned a hand formed cloth from the ground and trapped Carl.

"Gekiren!" The cloth slammed Carl to the ground, making him stand on landing.

As Claude landed, Amane aimed for him.

"KYŌRYŪ TOKKŌ!" Amane's cloth formed into the shape of a fanged mouth and charged forward at Claude, hitting him with the cloth and getting past him. After the attack, he performed a motion with his fan.

"SEIJŪ RENSŌKYAKU!"

Once he performed the pose, Claude flew up in a sudden burst of petals.

"Guah!" Claude yelled.

"He he he!" Amane said. "Done already!?"

As he looked around, he noticed that Sieg was missing.

"Huh?" Amane asked. "Hey there, where's your puppet?"

On cue, from afar, Sieg rammed into Amane in its jet form.

"Guoagh!?" Amane yelled.

As Amane landed into some debris, Sieg flew into the red sky, where it planned for another strike.

"What was that!?" Amane asked. "!?"

He looked to Claude, who was controlling Sieg's jet.

"RAPIDO FORTISSIMO," Claude said. "We're not done yet!"

"Heh! That's more like it!" Amane exclaimed. "I knew I saw something in you two!"

As the two continued to fight, a cry stopped them.

"WAIIIT A MINUUUTE!" a voice cried.

"Huh?" Amane asked.

"Is that!?" Carl asked.

They all looked to see a girl with a large squirrel tail, a large red devil-like man, and a dark-skinned woman.

* * *

Itsuki stopped in his tracks as soon as Tsubaki got in his way.

"!? G-Get out of my way, Tsubaki Yayoi..." Itsuki said uneasily. Tsubaki didn't budge, making even Itsuki a bit uneasy.

"Itsuki!" Burai yelled. "Cut this shit out already!"

"Quit getting in my way!" Itsuki yelled. "I will do what I want to do!"

"Even if you do this shit," Burai yelled. "You won't be able to surpass Kain or Kidou!"

Itsuki stopped. His sword started to shake violently.

"That's what it was about, isn't it!?" Burai yelled. "You of all people wouldn't be stupid enough to fall for the enemy's trap!"

"...Shut up..." Itsuki said.

"You purposely fell for their spell," Burai went on. "So that you could go ahead with this stupid manhunt."

"Shut up."

"But even if you do win against these guys," Burai yelled. "You'll never win against those two if you sully yourself in evil!"

"Shut up!"

"You wanna know the reason you'll never win against them!?" Burai yelled. "It's because–!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Itsuki yelled.

"YOU LACK TRUE HEART!" Burai screamed. "AS LONG AS YOU'RE ONLY LOOKING AT STRENGTH, YOU'LL NEVER BEAT KAIN OR KIDOU!"

"SHUT UP!" Itsuki screamed back.

As he was going to strike Burai, his arm suddenly froze from a pillar of ice that suddenly appeared from the ground.

"What!?" he muttered.

"...Who said...that you won...?" a voice asked.

They looked to see Jin, all bloody and beaten, rising back up.

"Jin!" Tsubaki exclaimed with joy and relief.

"Yo! You alright!?" Burai asked.

"Hmph, I'm not that weak that I need to get worried by you," Jin responded.

"You! But how!?" Itsuki yelled.

"Itsuki, was it?" Jin asked. "I heard the whole thing. You also want to beat Kain too, eh?"

"So!?" Itsuki growled.

"Hmph...Burai's right," Jin scoffed. "Just violent and devastating. That's all your attacks are. Compared to this, Kain's attacks are meaningful and strong. They felt as if they came from his soul."

"You fought Kain!?" Itsuki asked,

"Yeah, but it led to a draw," Jin said. "Hmph, I can't believe that I'm struggling against a 'weakling' like you."

Itsuki sort of twitched when Jin called him a 'weakling'.

"'Weakling'?" Itsuki asked.

"Yes, you're a weakling," Jin said. "You have to rely on others to achieve your goals and even relied on **them** to achieve it, while Kain struggled on his own to get to where he is. The difference is so noticeable, it makes me sick."

Jin held up his Yukianesa.

"Come," Jin said. "I'll show you the true meaning of 'strength'..."

"What!?" Itsuki growled.

"Everything, freeze," Jin said. He brandished his sword, releasing a distortion that felt like as if time stopped.

"Jin's Overdrive!" Tsubaki exclaimed.

"ARCTIC DAGGER!" Jin slashed out a huge wave of ice at Itsuki, freezing him. Then, Jin stabbed Yukianesa into the ground, striking Itsuki with a pillar of ice multiple times, until he recapped his sword.

"W...What of it!?" Itsuki yelled after he got up and charged at Jin. Jin only sighed.

"How ungraceful..." Jin only said as he created a barrier. When Itsuki slammed his sword on it, Jin slashed through Itsuki like the wind while freezing him in the process, then slashed through him multiple times in succession until he recapped his sword, breaking Itsuki from his ice prison.

"This marks the end..." Jin said as Itsuki fell.

* * *

"Miss Makoto!?" Carl exclaimed.

Claude and Mary quickly looked to see Makoto.

"I knew it was you, Carl!" Makoto said cheerfully as she hugged Carl, making him blush. "Uh...What's going on?"

"We were in the middle of fighting Mr. Amane here," Carl explained.

"Mr.?" Makoto asked as she looked at Amane. "You gotta choose your friends wisely, Carl."

"I can hear you," Amane grumbled.

"And who're they?" Makoto asked.

"Oh, this is Claude and Mary," Carl introduced. "Two vigilantes who are traveling with us. Claude, Mary, this is Makoto Nanaya, a friend of mine."

"N...Nice to meet you..." Claude said nervously.

"L...Likewise..." Mary also said nervously.

Makoto looked a bit confused, but left it as it.

"Makoto," the large red man said. "We should get going."

"Aw...can't we stay a little longer? Tager?" Makoto asked.

"Come on...we need to look for the abnormal seithr source quickly," Tager said. "There's a chance that Relius Clover could still be in the area."

The name 'Relius Clover' caught Carl's attention.

"Relius Clover?" Carl asked. "He's here!?"

"Possibly," the woman said. "I was attacked by him just a while ago."

"Where!?" Carl asked frantically.

"I don't know...I fell unconscious afterwards," she responded.

Carl looked angry as he started to leave.

"Wha-hey! Carl!" Makoto exclaimed.

"I must be going now," Carl said.

"Wait a minute! Sir Carl!" Bang exclaimed. "We should go together!"

"No, this is something that I must deal with," Carl said. "Let's go, Sis."

As Carl and Nirvana started to leave, Claude and Sieg stopped them.

"What's wrong?" Carl asked rather aggressively.

"I said that traveling together is more fun than alone," Claude said rather angrily.

"I'm sorry, but this doesn't have to do with–," Carl said.

"You want to take revenge on Relius Clover for turning your sister into Nirvana," Claude said. "Right?"

Carl suddenly shot up in his expression. He was surprised that Claude knew this, even though Carl never mentioned once anything about Relius Clover during their time together.

"...How do you know that...?" Carl asked.

Claude didn't respond to him.

"Carl," Makoto said. "You can trust us."

Carl looked reluctant at Makoto and the others.

"But..." Carl said.

Suddenly Claude punched Carl out of the blue.

"!? Wha..." Carl moaned.

"What the hell's that for!?" Makoto yelled at Claude angrily.

"...Cut it out already..." Claude said with anger. "What's so bad about us that you would go off on your own...?"

"Huh?" Carl asked.

"I'm not gonna leave you to go off on your own!" Claude yelled. "We're coming with you, whether you like it or not!"

Everyone looked surprised at Claude, while Mary looked uneasy.

"Claude..." Mary said.

Claude came back to his senses and shook his head. Sieg took out a towel and handed it to Claude.

"Thanks..." Claude said, accepting the towel. Sieg stared at Claude as he was wiping his sweat.

"Claude..." Carl said. "...You're right...it would be easier if we all traveled together."

They rejoiced at Carl opening up

"All right!" Makoto cheered as she continued to embrace him.

"M-Miss Makoto!" Carl exclaimed embarrassed. "P-Please let me go!"

"No way! I'm not gonna!" Makoto exclaimed.

Claude, Mary and Sieg watched the two's interaction with curious eyes.

"You think that's how it happened?" Mary asked.

"Probably..." Claude said.

While they were doing that, the woman was looking out to the area, and saw someone.

"Huh?" she asked.

"? What's wrong, Bullet?" Tager asked.

"Who's that?" Bullet asked.

They all turned to see a woman from a distance. She had long black hair and wore glasses and a China outfit. With a worried look on her face, she moved out of their vision.

"Was that!?" Carl exclaimed.

"MISS LITCHIII!" Bang suddnely boomed as he rocketed out of the group and after the woman. His yell was so loud, that Platinum had no choice but to wake up.

"What the hell!?" Luna yelled. "What's going on!?"

"What the!? Mr. Bang!" Carl exclaimed.

"Wait..." Tager said. "Where Litchi is heading...I can sense a high seithr reading!"

"What!?" Carl exclaimed. "We need to save her!"

They all ran after Bang, leaving Amane by himself, seeing that he has no reason to go with them, except for this one.

"This looks interesting," Amane said jovially, and then chased after them.

* * *

Their battle was over. Jin emerged victorious over Itsuki. As Itsuki got back up, Jin placed his Yukianesa's edge on Itsuki's neck.

"Now talk," Jin said coldly. "Who are you? Are you an ally of Terumi?"

Itsuki didn't respond to him.

"Talk," Jin threatened. "Or else you won't be seeing tomorrow."

"Jin..." Tsubaki said rather uneasily.

"...I never considered myself an ally of that snake," Itsuki said. "But I only sided with them so that I may fight all of you."

"What purpose does that have?" Jubei asked.

"Knowing him..." Burai said. "He only signed up to fulfill his frickin' power lust."

Itsuki nodded shamefully.

"Tch, to think I would be scolded by Burai..." Itsuki said.

"The hell you say!?" Burai yelled.

"Hmph," Itsuki scoffed. "I would understand if I was being scolded by Jin Kisaragi or Tsubaki Yayoi, but **you**? You're the last person who I would ever imagine being in that place. Even if you gave me a million pds."

"You asshole!" Burai yelled. "Like I would waste my time with some bloodthirsty red-head uptight asswipe!"

The two started to yell at each other in a less serious fashion. As if they were only bickering at each other on the smallest and most insignificant detail.

"Is it just me...?" Tsubaki asked. "Or those two get along pretty well?"

The two glared at Tsubaki.

"Who's getting along!?" they yelled in perfect unison.

"Anyway," Jin said loudly, getting their attention. "Itsuki...what was your mission? It couldn't have just been to attack us."

"...My mission," Itsuki explained. "Was to convince Tsubaki to join back for some reason."

"What!?" Jin yelled.

"Why would they do that?" Burai asked.

"That is now," a voice interrupted them. "None of your business."

They all turned to see a masked jester, along with a robed woman with a large pointed hat.

"Who the hell!?" Jin asked.

"Envy...!" Itsuki growled.

"! That's...!" Jubei exclaimed.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Itsuki," Envy said. "I give you one simple task, and you let your vicious ways get the best of you. Well what to expect when you're dealing with a rabid dog that just got off his leash."

"What!?" Itsuki grumbled.

"Oh, how scary," Envy said in a taunting tone. "Well, I have no need for you anymore, seeing how you managed to cripple the one obstacle that would have posed a threat."

Jin tried to get up, but the pain from his battle got him.

"Guh!" Jin yelped.

"Jin!" Tsubaki exclaimed worried.

"Now then..." Envy said. He lifted his arm, where his glove glowed. On cue, Burai and Jubei were magically lifted into the air, unable to move.

"What the!?" Jubei yelled.

"Damn it! I can't move!" Burai yelled.

"Of course, if there were more of you to deal with," Envy simply said. "Then I have my hands full here. Even if I could, and I can, it would be a waste of energy. Plus, this ways more fun."

"So you used me to level the playing field!?" Itsuki yelled.

"Pretty much, yes," Envy said. "I was hoping that Jin Kisaragi would piss you off enough so that you would **kill** Tsubaki Yayoi, but then again, **you** would be the last person to do that...so I don't blame you."

"Now then," Envy said as his head turned to Tsubaki.

"I don't have any grudge on you," Envy said. "But in truth, having you around would be bothersome...so you shall die now..."

Envy trapped Tsubaki in the same trance that Burai and Jubei were in with this other hand. Then he started to move it as if he was crushing something, while Tsubaki in response, started to choke.

"Gah...! Augh...!" Tsubaki yelped.

"Tsubaki!" Jin cried.

"Stop it! Envy!" Itsuki yelled. The two swordsman tried to get back up, but the damage from the battle bested them.

"Goodnight..." Envy said. "Sad princess..."

But just as Envy was about to finish her off, a large and dark circle appeared around her, releasing her from his trance.

"What!?" Envy exclaimed surprised.

He was so surprised, that he even let go of Burai and Jubei, making them fall to the ground.

"Ow!" Burai exclaimed. "What the hell's going on?"

"Ah…! Ah...!" Tsubaki moaned in pain.

"Tsubaki!?" Jin yelled, desperately trying to save her, but the energy from the circle was too great for him.

"The Mind Eater's going berserk!?" Itsuki yelled.

"Don't tell me..." Jin said. "The Imperator's doing this!?"

"...tch..." Envy said quietly. "So that 'puppet' started to catch on..."

Envy backed off from Tsubaki.

"...Phantom..." Envy said. "Please teleport us out of here...it would be bad to stay in this situation..."

Phantom said nothing but lookd at Envy.

"...What're you looking at, 'witch'?" Envy said. "...Just do it..."

Phantom still didn't say anything, but teleported the two out of the area.

"...Jin...Kisaragi..." Tsubaki started to moan. "You are...under arrest...for rebelling against the Imperator..."

Jin watched in horror as Tsubaki continued to agonize in the pain.

"I...will kill you..." Tsubaki struggled to say.

She held her head as she tried to fight it.

"No!" She cried. "No...! Please...save me...Jin..."

"Tsubaki!" Jin cried. He tried to pull out his Yukianesa in a desperate attempt to break the cricel, but an ear-piercing noise interrupted him, following a blinding light.

"What!?"

When the light cleared, Tsubaki was wearing a sleeveless, black, skin-tight bodysuit with a short, slender, white outfit and white knee-length boots. She also had golden armor cladding her while she carried a long spear-like sword, while two gold shields were floating next to her, and her hair was tied in a ponytail.

"Evil is sin...sin is evil...all sins shall face the blade of judgment..." Tsubaki said.

"I see..." Jin said. "So that's...the Sealed Weapon Izayoi's true form...!"

"All who rebel against the Imperator must be punished for their sins..." Izayoi said. "Even if it is Noel...Makoto...Iris...or Jin..."

Izayoi flung her sword in the air.

"I shall bring justice..." Izayoi said. "To all sinners!"

* * *

"Phew...we're finally done," Kidou said.

Kidou and Hakumen finished erasing all the orbs that filled the sky.

"Hm...You are good, Kidou..." Hakumen complimented. "Never have I seen such an abrasive fighting style be complemented with an opposite swift and elegant style."

"Why thanks," Kidou said. "Now let's get."

Kidou took out his two sleek swords while putting his large bulkier sword away, then stabbed the two points away from each other into the ground.

"Avalon!" Kidou yelled.

A large circle began to form, surrounding Kidou and Hakumen.

"What Ars Magus is this!?" Hakumen yelled.

"It's a parlor trick..." Kidou only responded. "Now, let's get!"

After a minute of coordinating where they would land, the circle activated, transporting the two elsewhere.

The circle reappeared in an open sky

"Where are we?" Hakumen asked.

"We're about to drop!" Kidou exclaimed.

The circle disappeared, making the two fall to the ground. As they looked around, they realized that they weren't alone.

"Huh?" Kidou asked.

* * *

He looked to see a group of five; three cute and beautiful girls, and two guys. One was extremely built and had a goatee, while the other wore a red coat and had a black gauntlet on his left arm. The man with the gauntlet struck out to Kidou, as it was a sight to behold. He knew that man, and was happy to finally find him.

"Kain!" Kidou exclaimed.

"What the hell!?" Kain yelled. He backed off as Kidou ran up to him. Kidou then proceeded to rub Kain's head.

"It's been a while!" Kidou exclaimed. "Glad to see ya' in one piece!"

"What the!? Who the hell are you!?" Kain yelled, pushing Kidou back away from him.

"Oh right," Kidou said. "You still have amnesia. Well I guess that can't be helped then..."

"Huh!? How d'you...!?" Kain asked confused.

"Kidou!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Oh! So you're here too, Hikari!" Kidou exclaimed in his jovial tone as he looked at Kain's party. "And there's Noel Vermillion...Mad Dog Azrael...and...hm? Who's the lassie?"

Iris looked a bit nervous, where Kain got in to defend her.

"Kidou?" Kain asked. "You're supposed to be 'my friend'?"

"Oh! So yer' as sharp as ever!" Kidou said. "That's good to hear!"

Kain glared at Kidou suspiciously.

"Well, now that we managed to reunite," Kidou said. "Might as well tell you guys about–."

But suddenly, Hakumen pointed his nodachi at Kain.

"Whoa! What the hell!?" Kain yelled.

"Hakumen!?" Kidou yelled.

"Stay out of this..." Hakumen only said. "It looks like this is something that I should settle."

"The hell're you talking about!?" Kain yelled.

"...Boy of the Azure..." Hakumen said. "Why do you have the presence of the Black Beast?"

"Huh!? How did you!?" Kain asked.

"Black Beast!?" Kidou asked. "Kain...did you...!?"

Kain looked even more confused, but Hakumen didn't give him the time to think, as he quickly assaulted him. Kain barely intercepted it with his sword, but the blow seemed to weigh more than a ton.

"Kain!" the girls exclaimed.

"Whoa whoa whoa..." Kain said as he struggled to block Hakumen. "What did I do to deserve this!?"

But Azrael punched Hakumen, getting him away from Kain.

"Thanks..." Kain said.

"Don't let your guard down," Azrael said. "That's Hakumen of the Six Heroes we're dealing with."

"Hakumen?" Kain asked. "As in **the** Hakumen!?"

_Oh crap! Forget one of the Six Heroes, I end up dealing with the boss!_

_No wonder he knows about the Black Beast! He killed one already!_

Kain suddenly shuddered violently.

"What's the matter?" Hakumen asked. "You are shivering."

Kain caught on to that and slapped his cheeks together.

_Get a hold of yourself!_

_Doesn't matter if he's Hakumen or God!_

_I can't lose here!_

"...Bring it!" Kain yelled. But as soon as he said that, Hakumen was already on him and slammed his nodachi on Kain's blade.

"Black Beast..." Hakumen said. "I shall slay you once more!"

"Shi-!?" Kain muttered.

* * *

Hakumen furiously struck at Kain like lightning, the latter could barely keep up with his moves. Kain managed to make a counterattack, but Hakumen only created a barrier with his arm, took the hit, and flung Kain to the ground.

"Gah! That's gotta be cheating!" Kain yelled.

As Kain rolled back, Azrael rammed into Hakumen with his fist. Hakumen blocked it with his sword.

"Hey there," Azrael said. "Don't think of hogging all the fun, boy."

"Mad Dog..." Hakumen said. "Do not interfere..."

"Like I give a shit!" Azrael exclaimed with growing excitement. "Come one, Six Hero Hakumen! Entertain me!"

_I knew it was a good idea to bring Azrael with us..._

Azrael grabbed Hakumen and threw him into the ground, then jumped into the air.

"Sentinel Dump!"

But Hakumen rolled out-of-the-way and slashed Azrael just as he was about to land. As Azrael flew back, Kain made his move.

"Strike Inferno!"

Kain thrusted his sword downwards at Hakumen, making him trip. As he got down, Kain quickly changed his blade to his rifle and shot Hakumen with one powerful shot, making him bounce off the ground. Kain then slammed his sword at Hakumen with his burning blade.

"Demonic Rising!"

Kain grabbed his sword with both hands, jumped and flung it up for an uppercut, sending Hakumen into the sky along with him. As kain jumped after him, Hakumen got his balance back and allowed Kain to get above him.

"Firefly!"

Hakumen launched a diagonal upward kick at Kain, sending Kain away from him.

"Guogh!" Kain muttered. "KuH! I'm not done yet!"

As Kain got his balance back, he brandished his sword, facing Hakumen.

"Sins Downfall!"

"Agito!"

Kain dove in for a stabbing strike at Hakumen, but he intercepted it with a circular kick, shielding himself from Kain's attack. As Kain fell back, he quickly changed the blade to rifle, aimed it at Hakumen and fired. Hakumen shielded himself with his blade as the two landed. But when Hakumen landed, Azrael was waiting for him with a backfist blow.

"Tiger Magnum!"

Azrael blew the caught-off-guard Hakumen into a tree, where Azrael pursued him. Hakumen quickly got up, where Azrael kicked him forward.

"Valiant Crush!"

Hakumen crashed through the tree, and into some debris. On him, a strange arrow appeared. Azrael wasn't done, though.

"Valiant Charger!"

Azrael charged at Hakumen and drove him through the debris exactly where the arrow was, making the debris collapse. As Azrael got back, the sword suddenly shot out and stabbed Azrael in the gut. Hakumen got out and raised his sword high.

"Remnant!"

Hakumen slashed Azrael overhead, then went for a sweeping slash. As Azrael fell, Hakumen quickly dashed at him.

"Lotus!"

Hakumen hit Azrael with a low sweeping kick, and then brought it around for a back turning forward kick, sending Azrael back.

"Kuh!" he muttered as he got back on his feet.

The girls and Kidou were watching the fight, anxious to get in and help Kain and Azrael.

"Hakumen!" Noel exclaimed. "Please stop this! They're not out enemy!"

"Stay out of this, girl of the Azure," Hakumen replied as he took a kick from Kain and flung him back. "This one needs to be slain! I shall not let anymore evil roam this planet!"

"But he's not evil!" Noel retorted. "He's one of us!"

"Nonsense!" Hakumen yelled. "The Black Beast is nothing close to 'good'!"

"We've got to do something!" Hikari exclaimed, no longer being able to endure watching Kain getting bested by Hakumen. As she was about to enter the fight, Kidou stopped her.

"!? Kidou!?" Hikari yelled.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Kidou said.

"But we have to do something!" Hikari yelled.

"I know, but look," Kidou said. "Do ya' really think you can keep up with them?"

Hikari looked at the action that was going on and sadly, she knew she couldn't keep up with them. As she slumped, Kidou patted her on the head.

"Look, Kain's gonna be all right," Kidou assured her. "Even if he's brawlin' with history's greatest hero, Kain'll find a way to beat him."

Iris looked worried at Kain.

'_Why?'_ she thought. _'Every time! Why am I powerless? Why can't I help Kain, when I want to!? This is so irritating! Kain had protected me this whole time...yet I can't do anything to repay him! I want...to protect him...!'_

As Iris looked irritated at herself, a small light started to appear. Meanwhile Kain and Azrael decided to go for a pincer attack.

"DESTRUDO BLADE!"

"BLACKHAWK STINGER!'

Kain charged at Hakumen with an energy-charged blade attack from the right, while Azrael rushed to Hakumen and delivered a strong punch from the left.

"EMPTY SKY FORM."

Hakumen made a larger red barrier, taking the two hits, and like the wind, slashed past both of them.

"WINTER'S REPOSTE!"

As the two fell back, Hakumen approached Kain.

"Is this the best you can do, Black Beast!?" Hakumen taunted. "As expected, you are only a plague that must be eliminated."

Hakumen held his sword high. Kain glared at him and tried to get up, but his leg got sliced from Hakumen's counter-assault.

"Farewell..." he said. "Boy of the Azure..."

"Kain!" they all cried.

As Hakumen was about to unleash the final blow, Kidou was about to intervene, until.

"STOP!" Iris cried as she ran in front of Kain to protect him.

"!? Iris! Get out of there!" Hikari yelled.

"Iris!" Noel cried.

"Wha-!? Iris! No!" Kain eyleld.

Hakumen couldn't stop his attack as the blade fell with great speed, but it stopped.

"What!?" Hakumen yelled.

As he looked, he realized that a round white and golden shield has shown itself in front of Iris and protected her. No matter how much force Hakumen applied to the sword, it wouldn't budge.

"What's that!?" Noel exclaimed.

"Is that her Theios Anima Arma!?" Kain exclaimed.

Iris stared in awe at the shield that protected her and even stopped Hakumen.

"...My...Theios Anima Arma..." Iris said.

She went to grab the shield.

"...Let's do this..." Iris said. "Let's protect everyone...! Luminous Aegis!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Hazama walked into a dark room. The only thing that Hazama could see was a white hallway that seemed to path out for miles. He looked up to a dark pedestal, where a light shined down from the heavens. On top of the pedestal, stood a young woman with very long purple hair tied into a ponytail and soulless red eyes. She wore a white and red Japanese style empress outfit tied with a light blue sash, with a golden crown and dark cape over her shoulders. AS she looked down on Hazama, he knelt on his knees and took off his hat out of respect.

"How may I help you, Great Imperator?" Hazama asked with emphasis. "To be able to meet personally is with great honor by itself. What is your command?"

"Terumi..." the Imperator said in a rather monotone voice. "...I assume that you have collected information on these irregularities, yes?"

"Of course," Hazama addressed. "Thanks to our new operative, 'Envy', we managed to obtain vast amounts of intel on these new warriors, making it that much easier to understand and destroy them; if they become a threat of course."

"Envy..." she went on. "Have you obtained any information regarding that man?"

"Unfortunately, no..." Hazama said cautiously. "That man shows no chance of me gaining anything on him. Besides on any missions or when he feels like it, no one truly knows where he goes off to."

"Continue to collect information on him..." the Imperator only stated, not caring at all for Hazama's rant. "What of the progress on the new warriors?"

"Yes..." Hazama said. "After further analysis, I have figured out what most of their primary objective is."

"Oh?" she asked in curiosity. "Pray tell, what is it?"

"Yes, I believe that they are trying to reunite with this one," Hazama said. He opened up a screen, tapped in some numbers, and showed the Imperator a photo of Kain. The Imperator looked surprised at the image.

"!? Bro-!?" she said.

"? Is something the matter? Great Imperator?" Hazama asked.

She quickly regained her composure.

"Terumi...who is this man?" she asked.

"His name is Kain..." Hazama reported. "Not much is truly known about him, only the fact that he possesses a special type of the Azure Grimoire, along with his weapon being something that seems to surpass the current Nox Nyctores."

"...Is he an ally? Or an enemy?" she asked.

"Since he has been in contact with Sector Seven and that us NOL has shown hostility to him," Hazama deduced. "It is most likely that he is an enemy."

"And?" The Imperator asked, less than impressed.

"Kain's main goal appears to be to locate The Grim Reaper, Ragna the Bloodedge," Hazama said. "If those two were to make an alliance, then they would prove to be a great threat to us.

"Rag...na..." the Imperator said. The name 'Ragna' caused a sensation that tingled in her. As if she yearned for the man.

"Imperator?" Hazama asked.

She regained her composure, and glared at Hazama.

"Terumi..." she ordered. "Hunt down the irregularities and eliminate them. And make sure that Kain does not meet Ragna the Bloodedge."

"If I may..." Hazama said. "That may not be as easy as you think."

"Excuse me?" she asked threateningly.

"It's just," Hazama answered nervously. "This Kain character has too much potential to be stopped."

"Explain yourself," she ordered.

"Just yesterday," Hazama reported. "It has been confirmed that Kain has the ability to become the 'Black Beast'."

"...What?" she asked.

Hazama punched in some more numbers and showed her a recording of Kain's rampage in his Black Beast form, making even the Imperator shocked.

"How is this possible?" she asked.

"We're still trying to figure that out," Hazama said. "But rest assured, we will deduce this case."

"...Very well..." she said. "Terumi...continue to gather information on Kain, especially his Black Beast form. And do not delay on the Sword of Hades completion. We may require its power sooner than we expected."

"As you wish," Hazama said. But she wasn't done talking.

"Also," she ordered. "Keep an eye on Envy. The man cannot be trusted. Relay those orders to Relius Clover as well. I look forward to your results."

With that, the light vanished, and with it the Imperator. Hazama got back up and left the room.

* * *

"...So that snake in the grass finally made a move..." Hazama said in a more malevolent tone as he was walking down a dark hallway. "Figured..."

He looked back at the shadow that seemed to engulf the room.

"...Envy...who the hell are you...?" Hazama asked. After staring into space for a while, he continued to walk back.

"Well then..." Hazama said. "I guess before I do anything, I should see how old Rag's doin'...Kehehehehe..."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN: **And that wraps up one really long chapter. Again, sorry about that. The Imperator finally makes her appearance and it loks like Envy's starting to show his true colors. Tsubaki became Izayoi, Hazama's planning to pay Ragna a visit, and Iris can now fight! How will this all end? You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out.

See ya and don't forget to review.


	13. Chapter 13: Morale

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 13: Morale**

* * *

**AN:** I'm back with Chapter 13 of Chrono Paradigm. Only thing I need to say, is there is going to be a lot of clashing, both physically and mentally.

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_What the hell...?_

_Iris got her own Theios Anima Arma!?_

_This outta be good!_

* * *

Iris grabbed her shield and pushed Hakumen back, surprising everyone.

"What was that!?" Hakumen exclaimed.

"Well well," Kidou said. "That Iris chick...managed to get herself a Theios Anima Arma..."

"A Theios Anima Arma!?" Hikari exclaimed. "That shield!?"

"Yep," Kidou said.

"What's a Theio...Animal...?" Noel asked, confused by the long name.

"'Theios Anima Arma,'" Kidou corrected Noel. "Put it simply, it's a super Nox Nyctores."

"A super Nox Nyctores!?" Noel exclaimed.

"Yep, missy," Kidou said. "FYI, Kain's Blood-Scythe is also a super Nox."

Noel looked amazed at the two, while Hikari looked surprised and angry at the same time.

'_Why does she get a Theios Anima Arma!?'_ Hikari thought. Jealousy filled her expression, as her rage boiled up inside her. _'WHY!?'_

"She managed to blow off Hakumen!?" Azrael said surprised, naturally. "Interesting..."

Iris looked amazed at how she managed to push Hakumen, but now began to panic about figuring out how use the Luminous Aegis.

"Um...how do I use this?" Iris asked worried.

"More like, that's a shield, right?" Kain asked. "How do you fight with a shield? And the opponent's Hakumen...what the hell're you gonna do!?"

As Hakumen got back up, his invisible glare shifted to Iris.

"Girl..." Hakumen said. "What is that weapon? I have never felt such power..."

"Eh?" Iris asked. "Um...this is a Theios Anima Arma...it's called..."

She tried to think real hard on what the shield is called. And then it hit her. As if she had known the answer for her entire life.

"Splendorem Custos," Iris said. "Luminous Aegis."

Hakumen said nothing and brandished his sword.

"Girl..." Hakumen said. "Why do you side with the Black Beast?"

"Huh?" Iris asked. "Why?"

"He is a plague to humanity," Hakumen said. "A pure threat just as dire as Terumi. Sticking with him will only bring you to despair and demise. And I shall deem you a threat and an enemy."

"Hakumen!" Kain growled. "Leave her out of this!"

"So, why?" Hakumen asked Iris.

Staring at Hakumen, one of the Six Heroes that defeated the devastating Black Beast a century ago and saving mankind in the process. No one could blame Iris for feeling scared. But even though, in front of Kain, Iris managed to gather up all of her courage and face Hakumen.

"I want to protect this man!" Iris answered.

"Protect the Black Beast?" Hakumen asked.

"That doesn't matter!" Iris yelled. "Even if he is the Black Beast or if he regained his memories, Kain is Kain! He'll always be Kain! No one has the right to say otherwise! I don't care if you are Hakumen...if you dare try to take that away from him by claiming that he's the Black Beast, I will protect Kain and fight you!"

Her outburst even surprised Hakumen.

"Iris..." Kain said, baffled.

Kidou whistled.

"She got some spunk," he complimented.

Hakumen didn't respond for a while, then began to chuckle.

"Iris, was it?" Hakumen asked. "I'll remember that. You impress me with your courage."

"Eh?" she asked.

"Very well..." Hakumen said. "Then prove to me that the Black Beast is worth protecting!"

Hakumen now aimed for Iris with his sword.

"Iris!" Kain yelled.

Iris blocked his strike with her Aegis, which pushed Hakumen off again.

"Kain! I'll help too!" Iris exclaimed.

"Say what!?" Kain yelled. "Look I get that your shield is strong, but this is your first battle! And against Hakumen! Just stay back, and let me and Azrael handle this!"

"...I refuse!" Iris exclaimed flat out.

"Wha-!?" Kain blurted.

"I'm finally able to help you!" Iris protested. "I won't let it go to waste!"

Kain looked worried and tried to convince her to back down, but Iris' eyes had a flare of ambition, and he realized that she won't back down. In response, he groaned.

"Since when were you this stubborn?" Kain asked. "Fine! Just don't push yourself."

Iris smiled in rejoice, then faced Hakumen with newfound pride and determination.

* * *

Claude's group and the Sector Seven group went after Litchi across Wadatsumi. What they found however, was a large labyrinth of some sort. It seemed to be made entirely of seithr, as there was no end to it. As they got close to it, the high concentration of seithr made them sick, as they could barely breathe.

"What the hell...is this?" Makoto asked. "When did this show up!?"

"Looks like this is what Kokonoe was talking about," Tager said.

"You're damn right I was," Kokonoe suddenly said from Tager's transceiver.

"So how do you propose we enter this huge lump of seithr?" Tager asked.

"Just wait," Kokonoe ordered. "I'll transport some gear to protect you guys from the seithr."

"...Kokonoe..." Tager said. "I think you should know...I spotted Litchi in the area."

Kokonoe didn't respond to him.

"...So?" she asked.

"There's a possibility that she entered this seithr field," he said.

"Her funeral..." Kokonoe said.

"Aren't you worried?"

"Hey she's the one who turned to the NOL," Kokonoe growled. "For all I care, she can do whatever she wants."

Tager didn't respond to her. Litchi. Once a scientist at Sector Seven, after an incident with a certain scientist, she defected from Sector Seven to help him. Her journey led to her joining the NOL to find a cure.

"...I'm sure Miss Litchi has her reasons..." Carl said, trying to believe in her.

"Indeed!" Bang exclaimed. "A woman as graceful, beautiful and fair-hearted as Miss Litchi would never side with the Library unless she has a just cause that is forcing her to do so!"

"But if she's in there..." Makoto asked. "Isn't she in danger because of all this seithr?"

"!? Miss Litchi!" Bang cried.

Without warning, he jumped into the seithr. He practically sunk through the seithr like a rock.

"Hey wait, Scruffy!" Luna yelled.

"!? Mr. Bang!" Carl exclaimed.

As Carl went after him, Makoto stopped him.

"Whoa! Don't go in there!" she said. "Who knows what's in that thing!"

"But Miss Makoto!" Carl protested. "Mr. Bang's...!"

"If I may..." Claude interrupted. "I may have an idea."

They all looked at Claude, who signaled Sieg. Sieg focused his palms together, charged energy in them, then released it to make a huge barrier that surrounded everyone.

"This is-!?" Tager exclaimed.

"This should protect us from the seithr," Claude said.

"Whoa..." Makoto said in awe as she took a deep breath. "I can breathe clearly."

"...Hey you," Kokonoe said to Claude.

"Me?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "How do you have that technology?"

Claude looked a little nervous. As if he was caught for a crime.

"The only ones who should have that technology," she said. "Is either us Sector Seven or the NOL. How does a random vigilante have such technology?"

Claude didn't respond.

"Claude..." Mary said.

"...Professor Kokonoe..." Claude said calmly. "I don't think that this is the sort of time to be discussing this."

"...Claude, was it?" Kokonoe asked. "When you're done, you're coming with us back to Sector Seven."

"Very well," Claude said. "But for now, we must save Bang and Miss. Litchi."

"Leave them," Kokonoe responded coldly. "You don't have to worry about a traitor and an idiot."

"Isn't she your friend?" Claude argued. "Why're you going to just abandon her!?"

"Hah! 'Friend'?" Kokonoe taunted. "I don't have any friends who would side with the NOL."

"What if she had her reasons!?" Claude yelled.

"Keh! I can probably guess her reason," Kokonoe shot back. "And I can safely say that it's only a wild goose chase."

"Why do you hate her so much?!" Claude rebutted. "Just because she joined the NOL!? And she was forced to!?"

"Anyone who sides with Terumi deserves to die!" Kokonoe yelled.

The silence that their argument brought out felt unnerving to everyone.

"You know, you're pretty foolish," Bullet finally said.

"What did you say!?" Kokonoe asked threateningly.

"You're Kokonoe, right?" Bullet asked. "I thought you were a genius. Yet you're letting your hatred towards the NOL blind you from your friends."

"'Friends!?" Kokonoe asked halfheartedly.

"Your friends are important," Bullet said. "If you throw them away because of your personal vendetta or whatever, you'll be alone."

"That's bullshit!"

"No it's not," Bullet shot back. "I know that pain...you guys killed my friends five years ago."

Everyone looked a little shocked.

"I know how it feels to be alone," Bullet said. "And as much as it irritates me, even those in Sector Seven don't deserve that pain."

"She's right," Amane added in. "Your friends are important. You should treat them more properly."

They turned their attention to Amane.

"You see, I'm gathering young and handsome men for my troupe," Amane said. "I've been traveling the world searching for them."

"What does this have to do with anything!?" Kokonoe yelled.

"Well they all do have their ups and downs," Amane continued. "But they're all important to me. They're pretty much my family. Even if they were to do something bad, we all look over that and accept them for who they are."

Amane pointed his fan at Tager, intending to point it at Kokonoe.

"Kokonoe or whatever," Amane said. "You lack the kindness and heart to accept your friends and family truly."

"What do you know!?" Kokono yelled. "How can you possibly understand the pain that I've been!?"

"I understand..." Platinum said. Her tone was neither Luna's nor Sena's. Her pupils weren't heart-shaped.

"...Trinity..." Kokonoe said.

"'Trinity'?" Mary asked. "You mean the Trinity of the Six Heroes!?"

"Kokonoe," Trinity said. "You were once a kind child...Nine and I, and Celica and Mr. Jubei were all proud of you."

"What're you getting at?" Kokonoe muttered.

"Do you think that your mother would be proud of you if she saw you now?" Trinity asked.

Kokonoe growled in anger and annoyance.

"So!?" Kokonoe yelled angrily. "What do you wanna say!?"

"What we're trying to say..." Claude said in a rather serious tone. "...you must learn to be more compassionate...you will never know how much one means to you until they are gone."

Mary's expression filled with grief as she looked at Sieg. Sieg only glanced at Mary, and then fixed his soulless gaze back at Claude. Kokonoe didn't seem to respond for a while, giving the atmosphere a rather awkward and tension-filled air.

"...You're the second person," Kokonoe said. "...who told me that."

"Pardon me?" Claude asked.

"Tch! You're all so annoying..." she said. "Like I have to get the same message twice."

Her voice seemed less tense and had a hint of relief.

"Tager, bring the two idiots back here," Kokonoe said. "Pretty sure we're gonna have to cure them of any seithr related abnormalities."

"Very well," Tager said, with satisfaction in his voice, then cut off the transmission. Trinity smiled, but suddenly fell over, sleeping.

"Wha-!?" Claude exclaimed. "Trinity!?"

When she woke up, her pupils were heart-shaped once more.

"Huh?" Sena asked. "Did we randomly fall asleep again?"

"Damn it! That's always so damn annoying!" Luna yelled.

"Anyway," Bullet said, interrupting Platinum's monologue. "We should get going."

They all faced the seithr space. With Sieg in the lead, they all entered the seithr field, as if they were being sucked into it.

* * *

In the field, Litchi was wandering around. The entire space was black. She couldn't tell her right from her left. She couldn't even tell if there was any light. The seithr made the air barely breathable. Lithci tried to rest herself on a wall, but the walls were even made of seithr, making them untouchable. She had no choice but to rest on the floor. As she breathed heavily, she looked ahead to the endless horizon of seithr.

"How...much longer...?" Litchi asked. "I know...he's here..."

The panda that was on her ponytail looked at its owner with worry.

"It's okay, Lao Jiu," Litchi assured the panda. "I'm fine...but more importantly..."

She stood back up, using her staff for support, and struggled to move on.

"He's here..." she murmured. "Lotte..."

After moving on for a few moments, she finally found an exit.

"Huh?" she asked.

As she entered the exit, she found herself in a room of some sort. The room was even bigger than the entire labyrinth. In the middle a large orb of seithr floated in the middle.

"What is this?" Litchi asked with fear.

She also noticed that a black blob-like creature was in front of the orb.

"!? Is that...?" Litchi asked. "Lotte!"

The creature turned around to see Litchi. The creature had a white mask on him. The creature was Arakune.

"!? Li-chi!?" Arakune yelled. "Why -re y-u here!?

* * *

Burai got on his feet and helped up Jin and Itsuki. The two did their best to regain their balance as Izayoi glared down on them.

"Tsubaki..." Jin said.

"What the hell is this!?" Itsuki yelled. "What happened to her!?"

"...The Sealed Weapon Izayoi..." Jin said. "Murakumo Unit Prototype...tch! I told her to get rid of that!"

"Yo! What're we supposed to do!?" Burai yelled. "If that thing's a Murakumo Unit, then we're pretty much screwed!"

Izayoi pointed her sword at the three.

"Are you done with your foolish talk?" Izayoi asked. Her tone was more malicious compared to her tone as Tsubaki.

Burai and Jin glared at Izayoi worried, while Itsuki fell to his knees.

"This is my fault..." he murmured.

"What are you babbling about at a time like this?" Jin asked annoyed.

"Because of my bloodlust..." Itsuki murmured scared. "I let Tsubaki fall into their hands...I...I...deserve my punishment..."

Jin looked at Itsuki confused and ashamed, while Burai glared at him in disbelief.

"It looks like he understands the depths of his sins..." Izayoi said. "Good...then accept your punishment with honor."

As Izayoi approached Itsuki, Burai stopped her.

"Do you plan to add more sins to your crimes?" Izayoi asked.

Burai said nothing, then turned and punched Itsuki.

"!?"

As Itsuki fell on his bottom, Itsuki looked up to an enraged Burai, bewildered.

"Wha...?" Itsuki asked.

"I'm disappointed in you..." Burai said. "Was your will this weak? Ah!?"

Itsuki looked surprised.

"You may not be the strongest," Burai said. "But that didn't mean you were weak! You're stronger than this! Don't let this get to you!"

"But..." Itsuki said. "I betrayed you guys...for my own..."

Finally snapping, Burai angrily grabbed Itsuki by his collar and lifted him to Burai's face.

"Get a hold of yourself damnit!" Burai yelled. "Isn't she someone important to you!? Then save her you frickin' idiot!"

Itsuki was shocked by Burai's outburst, as Burai let go of him.

"If you won't fight," Burai said as he faced Izayoi. "Then piss off!"

As Burai took out his daggers, Jin stopped him.

"Wait..." Jin said. "I'm fighting too..."

"Whoa! Hold it there!" Burai exclaimed. "You're still banged up! Rest a little!"

"Heh! You're too naïve to worry about me..." Jin said. "I'm fine..."

"I know you are," Burai said. "You have a healing Ars, don't you? Then use it while I distract her!"

Jin looked surprised as Burai smiled at him. He then chuckled a little.

"So you manage to understand, huh?" Jin asked. "Then I'll leave it to you for now."

As Jin backed off, Burai glared at Izayoi.

"Master Jubei," Burai said. "Please watch Itsuki."

Jubei nodded in response.

"...Are you sane?" Izayoi asked.

"Yeah, I'm sane all right," Burai said. "And I'm not gonna let you lay a hand on these two!"

"Defying my rights to punish the sinners," Izayoi said. "Is equal to defying the Imperator. Are you willing to do that?"

"Yeah..." Burai said.

"Are there not people who you will not sadden?" Izayoi asked. "Do you not have any friends, or family?"

"...Family, eh?" Burai asked. "Heh! I'm pretty sure they won't want to see a misfit like me..."

"Burai...?" Jin asked.

For a second, Burai had a hint of sadness in his expression, but he shook out of it.

"Look, I don't care what you think of me," Burai said. "But even for this misfit...I value my friends! Try and hurt them, I'll make sure you regret doing that!"

"Fool," Izayoi said. "You've chosen your own demise."

"Then let's find out then..." Burai said. "If I really did choose my demise!"

Burai brandished his dagges, and charged at Izayoi.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ragna, Saya and Tao were making their way to Ibukido, almost reaching their goal.

"So, Ragna," Saya asked. "What're you planning to do, once we get to Ibukido?"

"Ah?" Ragna asked. "Oh...I don't know about you, but I need to go hunt down someone."

"Who?" Saya asked.

"None of your business," Ragna said.

"Again with that crap?" Saya asked. "Look, you can trust me, so tell me what're you gonna do!"

"Look, it's something brats like you shouldn't get involved with," Ragna retorted.

_Really, I don't want her to get involved...although I'm pretty damn sure she's already involved in this shit..._

"I'm not a brat!" Saya argued.

"That's right!" Tao exclaimed. "Funny Lady is Funny Lady!"

"For the last goddamn time," Saya said angrily. "I'm not 'Funny Lady'!"

"Didn't you learn already?" Ragna asked humored. "No matter what you do, Tao won't be able to learn your name."

Saya only grumbled.

"So how much longer?" Saya asked.

"All we need to do is cross the blockaded district and we're there," Ragna said.

"I see," a voice suddenly said out of nowhere. "Now do you really think it'll be that easy, Raggy boy?"

A sudden dark and dreadful feeling entered the atmosphere. A feeling that Ragna is all too familiar with and never want to feel. He could tell who it was with one guess. Saya suddenly felt scared.

"Ragna..." Saya murmured. "What is this...?"

"...Get back..." Ragna said.

Without warning, Ragna took out his sword and flung it behind him, intercepting a sudden attack from a snake-like chain that shot out of nowhere. Ragna violently charged towards where the chain came from, where a man in a dark suit suddenly appeared out of nowhere and kicked him up, Ragna;s sword and the man's clashed.

"My my..." the man said. "Aren't we the feisty one today, Rags."

"Terumi...!" Ragna growled.

"Now, now let's calm down here," Terumi said. "I wouldn't want you to make your hair even whiter because of stress. Oh wait, I already beat you to the punch when I hacked off your arm, didn't I?"

Ragna flung Terumi off with his sword, as the malevolent villain jumped back and landed on his feet.

"Why the hell are you here!?" Ragna yelled.

"What, I can't visit my favorite little dog?" Terumi asked in a taunting manner. "I see your bringing a little girl and a kitty with you. I didn't know you rolled that way, you dirty dog, kehehehe..."

"Dead Spike!"

Ragna suddenly unleashed a shockwave of dark energy at Terumi, who only dodged it.

"Wasn't that close..." Terumi said. "Don't get your hopes up, Rags. Like those lame moves'll hit me."

"Why the hell are you here!?" Ragna asked again.

"Man, don't you want to get to the point, you smashing bore..." Terumi said. "Let's see here, I don't have any real plans right now...like I said, just visiting my favorite mud-shit pedophile dog since I have some time on my hands."

"Kee!" Tao screamed. "You're the Scary Guy!"

"Oh well, if it isn't the useless replica," Terumi said. "Still acting all retarted I see. Honestly, how is this a replica of that old shitty cat? Just please, don't come near me, you poor excuse of a vigilante."

Terumi then took notice to Saya, and his nonchalant and sadistic expression suddenly turned grim.

"The hell?" he asked.

"W-Who are you...?" Saya asked. "I never felt such evil..."

"...That should be the question I'm asking," Terumi said. "...Who the hell are you?"

Saya stepped back a little out of fear. After looking at her, Terumi managed to figure it out.

"Oh I see..." Terumi said. "You're that Kain brat's sister or something, aren't you?"

"!? You know my brother!?" Saya exclaimed.

"Yeah, he's pretty much all the rage at the NOL," Terumi said. "A random vigilante who has a special version of the Azure Grimoire, and bears a striking resemblance of our good ol' Raggy here. And that's only the tip of the iceberg."

"W-What're you talking about?" Saya asked.

"Oh come now, you should know," Terumi said as he got close to her face, freaking her out. "He can become the Black Beast."

Saya's eyes widened as Terumi let out a maniacal cackle.

"Oh, this is rich!" Terumi boomed. "So let me guess, you're the heart, right?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Saya yelled.

"Bingo!" Terumi exclaimed. "Aha! There's no use in hiding it. You're a terrible liar."

Terumi tried to control his laughter, but could hardly contain it.

"Oh this is really rich!" Terumi laughed. "Two siblings make the Black Beast! That is just comedy gold there! So, what problems do you two have then?"

Saya shuddered when she remembered her childhood, mostly all the mental pain she and her brothers had to deal with.

"Stop it!" Ragna yelled as he assaulted Terumi. He stopped Ragna by kicking him in the stomach, sending him back.

"Oh, shut the hell up, you mangy mutt!" Terumi yelled. "Who said you could interrupt me!?"

Ragna glared at Terumi and got back up.

"I get it..." Terumi said. "You see this bitch as your sister, don't you?"

"Kuh! Saya! Get out of there!" Ragna yelled.

Terumi looked surprised when Ragna said Saya, giving her the chance to run away from her and get behind Ragna.

"'Saya'?" Terumi asked. "Are you for real!? Oh, this just gets getting better and better! Now then..."

Terumi took out a pair of butterfly knives and glared at Ragna.

"Since you've been pissing me off ever since I got here," Terumi said. "Time to give you a well-deserved beatdown!"

"Bring it, you poison snake bastard!" Ragna yelled, brandishing his sword. "I'll make sure you die the most gruesome death possible!"

"Ragna!" Saya yelled.

"Good Guy!" Tao yelled.

"You two, whatever you do, stay out of this!" Ragna ordered.

Ragna and Terumi glared at each other, then made their moves.

"Hell's Fang!"

"Falling Fang!"

* * *

Iris was only stuck shielding herself from Hakumen, while Kain and Azrael had to go on the offensive.

"What's the matter? Girl?" Hakumen asked. "If this is your way of protecting the Black Beast, then I'm less than impressed."

Iris looked anguished as Kain managed to ram Hakumen away from her.

"I'm sorry..." Iris said.

"Look, focus," Kain said. "There's got to be something that shield can do besides the obvious role!"

"But what do I-?" Iris asked.

But suddenly, the shield started to glow brightly. The energy was becoming intense.

"Eh?" Iris asked.

She panicked and faced it away from her, only to have the shield shoot a blast of light.

"Uwoah!" Kain yelled as he barely managed to dodge it. It bulleted straight for Hakumen and Azrael, who sensed it and dodged it at the last second. The light hit the blockade that was getting gin their way to Ibukido, and left a huge hole, clean through in it.

"...Whoa..." Iris said.

"Okay, don't aim that at us, okay?" Kain said.

"What power..." Azrael said.

Hakumen said nothing, but used the opportunity to strike Azrael.

"Crimson!"

Hakumen lunged forward and thrusted the hilt of his sword against Azrael in the gut. As he flinched, Hakumen quickly rushed towards Azrael.

"Camellia!"

Hakumen jumped a little and slammed his sword in a spinning motion against Azrael, sending him into the ground.

"Azrael!" Iris exclaimed.

_Right...even if Iris can fight, we're still against Hakumen, and something's tellin' me that he's been holding back._

Hakumen then made a mad dash towards Kain.

"Hades!" He uppercutted Kain, sending him into the air. Then Hakumen lifted his sword high, where it started to charge energy.

"EMPTY SKY FORM..."

Iris rushed to Kain's aid and activated her shield.

"SUMMER'S ADVANCE!"

Hakumen slammed his sword against Iris, who couldn't defend against the super-charged strike. Kain quickly got in her way to cushion her fall as the two crashed into the ground, where a huge shockwave made its way from the sword into a lake far away, making a tremendous explosion of water.

"Just as I suspected..." Hakumen said. "That shield is indeed mighty, but it cannot protect against that which is mightier."

As Kain and Iris got back up, Hakumen walked towards them.

"Kain!" Noel and Hikari cried. They tried to join the fight, but Kidou blocked them with his large mechanical sword.

"What are you doing!?" Noel asked. "Kain and Iris need help!"

"Wait," Kidou said. "Let's see this one through."

"What!?" Hikari yelled. "Why!?"

Kidou only said nothing and watched the fight.

"Is this the extent of your power, girl?" Hakumen asked. "Why are you holding back? Surely you cannot protect the Black Beast like that."

Iris glared at Hakumen.

"...How are you a 'hero'?" Iris asked angrily. "You're nothing but a bully who only fights for what you believe in...that's not justice...that's just self-satisfaction!"

"...What?" Hakumen asked, his tone becoming filled with rage.

"If Kain's the evil Black Beast you keep saying he is..." Iris went on. "Then why does he protect me? The Black Beast would never do that!"

Iris stood back up.

"Hakumen..." Iris said. "You are not a hero! You're only a self-pompous relic of a warrior!"

They were all surprised to hear Iris. She was insulting Hakumen of all people.

"...You do have spirit, I will give you that..." Hakumen said. "...Farewell, girl..."

Hakumen made a stance, holding his sword up.

"EMPTY SKY TRUE FORM...LIGHT OF JUDGMENT!"

His hair started to violently flow as Hakumen surged with energy.

"Stop it, Hakumen!" Noel pleaded.

Iris was ready to protect Kain at all costs.

_Damn it! Iris can't possibly defend herself with her current power! I need to do something!_

'_**Then why don't you use my power?**__' _a dark voice rang in Kain's head. _'__**You accepted me to protect your friends, right?**__'_

Kain suddenly realized the voice. Despite its dark and malevolent tone, Kain felt relieved in it. As Hakumen was about to strike at her, Iris got ready. But as Hakumen made the last strike, Kain suddenly stopped the blade with his left arm.

"What!?" Hakumen exclaimed.

"Kain?" Iris asked.

"...Hakumen..." Kain said. "You kept calling me the Black Beast, right?"

Kain glared at Hakumen

"Then let me show you," he boomed. "...the power of the Black Beast! BLOOD OVERLOAD!"

His gauntlet opened up to release the Azure, surging him with its power. His eyes became red in a response. He then focused his arm, as black energy started to burst out from the arm and wrap around Kain. Soon, Kain gained a complete black and beastly armor, where his left hand became a claw of Darkness, while his sword became his right arm as a head of a monster. He glared at Hakumen in his armored black helmet, where he sprouted large claw-like wings and a tail. His bloodshot red eyes now show luster and soul.

"...So you finally show yourself..." Hakumen said. "...Black Beast..."

* * *

"...ey...hey...Hey!" a voice exclaimed.

It seemed that Itsuki had blacked out from his own mental exhaustion.

"Huh?" Itsuki asked. He looked to see Jubei. "What's going on?"

He also noticed that Jin was trying to heal himself with a healing Ars.

"So you finally decided to wake up, huh?" Jin asked sarcastically.

"What's going on?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yer' friend is defendin' us from her," Jubei explained.

Itsuki looked to see Burai battling Izayoi.

"!?"

"He's more competent than you are right now," Jin said.

"Burai..." Itsuki said.

Burai clashed his daggers at Izayoi, who shielded herself managed to dodge Izayoi's swift attacks barely, as she continued her relentless assault.

"Damn...! Even if she is a 'prototype'..." Burai said. "As expected of a Murakumo unit..."

Izayoi swiftly unleashed a barrage of slashes upon Burai, who had to shield himself with his daggers and try to dodge her stabs. Seeing an opportunity, Burai allowed Izayoi to hit him, so that he can disappear and reappear behind her. Burai tried to land a hit against her from behind, but Izayoi saw this coming and instead thrusted her sword at Burai just as he reappeared, sending him back.

"Your cheap tactics for a sneak attack will not work on me," Izayoi said.

"Says you!" Burai yelled as he disappeared once more.

"What!?"

He reappeared in front of Izayoi and charged at her.

"Breeze Dance!"

Burai stomped on Izayoi, making her bounce off the ground, then went for his pursuit by slashing her over in the air, then kicked her down.

"Razor Wind!"

Burai swiped both of his daggers to shoot a storm of shockwaves that cut Izayoi and made her plummet to the ground. As burai landed however, Izayoi lifted her sword up, activating a trance of some sort. She then hovered and flew towards Burai with greater speed than before and kicked him in the gut.

"Gaugh!?" Burai yelped as she made her move.

"Aegis Blade!"

Izayoi flung her sword up, sending Burai up into the air. She pursued Burai as if she warped to him and slashed him over midair.

"Noir Edge!"

She flung her sword diagonally up, sending Burai further into the air, where Izayoi swiftly appeared above him.

"Strike Fall!"

Izayoi dove like a bullet and sliced Burai so strong, that he plummeted to the ground. Before he crashed however, Izayoi warped back to the ground and created a large circle.

"JUSTICE PHORIZER!"

She unleashed a large blade that stabbed Burai, sending him straight into the forest that surrounded the area. He crashed through tree after tree, until he mustered up all of his strength and stopped himself by slamming his feet into the ground.

"Damn it...!" Burai muttered.

"Now you see the errors of your rebellion?" Izayoi asked. "Resistance is futile. Admit your sins and your judgment shall be swift and painless."

Burai grinded his teeth. He checked to see how Jin was doing, but he was still not done with his healing.

"Just hold her off for another minute!" Jin yelled.

"Tch!" Burai muttered as he faced Izayoi once more.

"Why do you resist that much?" Izayoi asked. "There's no worth in protecting someone who tried to kill you. Honestly, your friendship must be worthless if you cannot even recognize friend from foe."

Burai twitched a little.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Burai asked angrily. "You telling me that protecting my friends is 'worthless'?"

"If you don't even realize that your so-called 'friend' tried to kill you," Izayoi mocked. "Then you do not know the meaning of 'friendship' and your so-called friends must also be manipulative scum like that one."

Itsuki looked mortified by Izayoi's insults, while Burai looked like he was about to lose it.

"Hey, bitch," Burai said. "I don't care what you say about me...but say anything bad about my friends one more time, then you're history."

"...So you think you're friends with Kain, I presume?" Izayoi asked, trying to push him. "I should have known...any friend of that rebellious 'monster' must be foolish. To aid the Black Beast...that is blasphemy and the greatest sin of all!"

Burai was about to lose it.

"...You bitch..." Burai said. "You don't know anything about all the shit that Kain had to go through because of his powers..."

His hands started to shake violently.

"So what makes you think you can just call Kain a 'monster'," Burai asked. "Without knowing the pain, suffering and despair that he had to overcome to get here."

"Where?" Izayoi asked tauntingly. "Being a sinner who foolishly defied the Great Imperator and a 'monster' who plagues everyone around him? For all I care, he should have stayed in his despair."

The last insult to Kain finally made Burai snap.

"...I don't care if I die..." Burai said. "...YOU ARE AS GOOD AS DEAD! YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

He threw his hand into the air, releasing the time-stopping distortion.

"Overdrive!?" Jin exclaimed.

Burai suddenly disappeared and reppeared in front of Izayoi.

"ILLUSIONS!"

Burai made two clones of himself.

"MIRAGE TRIAD BREAK!"

They all rammed at Izayoi and drove her into a huge stone that was in the premises.

"Gaha!" Izayoi gagged.

As she fell, Burai warped in front of her and brandished his daggers.

"EAT THIS YOU BASTARD!" he yelled as he jumped towards her and slammed the daggers downward. As she bounced off the ground, Burai ripped up a violent storm of leaves that enveloped her as he vanished. In the midst, he reappeared, as hundreds of his clones appeared, surrounding Izayoi.

"His Astral Heat!" Itsuki exclaimed.

"THERE"S NO RUNNING AWAY NOW!" they yelled in unison as they flaunted their daggers and poised at her. "**PHANTOM HURRICANE!**"

They all struck at Izayoi at the same time, making a hurricane of slashes and leaves, overwhelming her.

"AAAAAH!" she yelled.

She fell to the ground and crashed like a stone, while Burai landed away from her, all the clones disappearing. The attack took so much energy, that Burai almost fainted, but managed to satnd back up as he breathed heavily.

"Okay...that outta do it..." Burai said. "Or at least put a dent in her..."

But as he looked to where she landed, Izayoi pulled herself together and stood back up. She was indeed beaten up, but she was still intact.

"Oh come on!" he yelled.

"I have to admit..." Izayoi said. "That actually did something..."

As Burai tried to move, he fell. All of his energy went to that last attack, so he couldn't even move.

"You managed well for a fool," Izayoi said. "But now...your time has come..."

AS Izayoi faced her sword at Burai, she flung it with great momentum, but the fatal attack didn't hti him. Instead, they heard a clashing noise and saw that Itsuki had guarded Burai.

"What!?" Izayoi exclaimed. "But how can you move from all that pain!?"

"Itsuki!" Burai yelled.

"Heh...do you really think..." Itsuki asked. "That...I would let you take all the glory...? Stupid ninja...?"

Burai looked surprised. 'Stupid ninja', although insulting, was what Itsuki had always called him, showing their rivalry, differences, but most importantly, their friendship.

"You...!" Burai said with increasing rejoice.

"I am truly sorry, Tsubaki Yayoi..." Itsuki said. "I do honor you and your justice...but I will not let you hurt my friends..."

"What are you babbling about, you hypocrite?" Izayoi asked. "You almost killed him for your own gains."

"Yes..." Itsuki said. "I did…but that was because of the Mind Eater that Phantom catsed on me...the spell that Burai broke for me..."

They looked surprised as Itsuki managed to push her back.

"Let us end this..." Itsuki said as he made a mad dash to Izayoi and grabbed her.

"What!?" Izayoi yelled.

Itsuki lifted her up and from his palm shot a huge amount of energy that froze her and shot her into the air. He then grabbed the hilt of his sword as Izayoi was falling.

"As the moon becomes dark..." Itsuki said. "Pure darkness shall blind those with no light. I shall slay the darkness and bring the blinded light to guide them to a new day..."

As Izayoi same into aim, his sword began to violently charge seithr.

"NOW BEGONE DARKNESS!" Itsuki boomed. "**NEW MOON SLAYER!**"

At the second that Izayoi came into aim, Itsuki widely slashed the ice in half at lightning speed, breaking Izayoi from the ice and making her fall to the cold ground as Itsuki recapped his sword of moonlight.

* * *

Sieg clawed his way through the seithr that surrounded them and moved on ahead.

"Man, this is so much seithr!" Makoto exclaimed. "It's making me sick just looking at it!"

"Yes..." Carl said. "Let's hope that Mr. Bang and Miss Litchi are alright..."

As they moved on, they found Bang fainted on the ground.

"!? Mr. Bang!" Carl cried. Sieg rushed over to Bang to get him in the barrier that it deployed, protecting everyone from the seithr.

"Mr. Bang! Are you all right!?" Carl cried. "Mr. Bang!"

Bang just coughed heavily as he looked up to see Carl.

"Oh...Sir Carl..." he said weakly. "Excellent...you have decided to come along with everyone else..."

He sounded weak compared to his usual loud yet energetic self.

"You need medical attention now!" Mary exclaimed.

"Tager!" Makoto exclaimed. "Can't you do something!?"

"That emergency kit was only for physical wounds!" Tager said. "It can't deal with this!"

Claude looked worried and signaled Sieg. Sieg emitted a light that scanned over Bang, seemingly making his breathing better.

"That should do for now..." Claude said. "But he needs to see some real medical help soon."

Bang managed to get back on his feet and took a deep breathe.

"Ah! Much better!" Bang said. "I thank you, Sir Claude! Without you, I could have been in great danger!"

"Oh thank God..." Carl said, then angrily scowled at Bang. "Mr. Bang! Why would you do something so dangerous!?"

"Eh!? I was only worried about Miss Litchi..." Bang said. "Who knows what kind of dangers were lurking in here–"

"You didn't know either, yet you just jumped in there!?" Carl yelled. "How can you be such an idiot!?"

"Sir Carl!?" Bang exclaimed.

"Calm down Carl..." Makoto said, but Carl just fell to his knees and started to cry.

"Please...don't do anything that dangerous again..." he bawled. "I don't want to lose anyone dear to me again..."

"Sir Carl..." Bang said, feeling the guilt he made and the sadness that Carl has with him. "I'm truly sorry."

Makoto went to comfort Carl, while giving Bang a scowl.

"Come on," Luna said. "Let's get this over with! Luna doesn't wanna stay in this shithole!"

Carl managed to pull himself together, and move on ahead.

"You sure are a strong boy, Carl," Amane said.

"Uh...thanks..." Carl replied uneasily.

"Well, I can relate to our feelings on your friends," Bullet said. "There's no shame in crying."

AS they moved on, Sieg came to a halt. In front of him was the end of the labyrinth. Or so it seemed. As Sieg touched the wall, his arm passed right through it. He turned to Claude.

"!? Miss Litchi's in there!?" Claude exclaimed.

"She is!?" Carl asked.

"Wait..." Claude said. "There's something else in there with her!"

Sieg quickly ripped open the wall to reveal a room that was even bigger than the labyrinth itself. In the middle was a large seithr orb like the one at Wadatsumi.

"What the hell!?" Makoto exclaimed.

"!? Miss Litchi!" Bang exclaimed.

They all turned to see Litchi, fighting with Arakune.

"Miss Litchi!" Carl cried.

Litchi suddenly realized voice and quickly turned after she sent Arakune away from her with her staff.

"Huh!? Carl!?" Litchi exclaimed, surprised to find him here.

* * *

Ragna violently slammed his sword at Terumi. Terumi only dodged the violent strike and got around him.

"Venom Sword!"

Terumi struck forward with an energy 'sword' that looked like a snake's head, stabbing Ragna and pushing him away. Terumi then entered a stance and dashed forward.

"Rising Fang!"

As Ragna was sent flying, Terumi shot a chain that grabbed Ragna by the neck.

"Ouroboros! C'mere!" he yelled as he swung the chain behind him, slamming Ragna to the ground.

"Aw what's the matter?" Terumi asked. "Don't tell me you're done?"

As Terumi made another dash, Ragna suddenly stabbed him with his sword.

"Guagh!? Why you–!?" he muttered, but was interrupted by Ragna who raced up to him, grabbed him and stabbed him in the face.

"Gauntlet Hades!"

As Terumi was forced into the air, Ragna hopped after him and delivered a brutal spinning down hand swing of darkness, followed by a back spinning kick aimed up while releasing a claw of darkness. As Terumi fell, Ragna grabbed him by the leg and slammed him to the ground, along with him.

"Gah! You little shit!" Terumi yelled. But before he could get up, Ragna picked him up and punched him in the gut. As Ragna was about to slam his fist at him, Terumi blocked it with his arm and flung him overhead.

"Don't get cocky!" Terumi yelled as he shot a chain at Ragna, then used it to pull himself towards Ragna. There, he tok out his knives and raided Ragna in a storm of furious slices.

"Wind Serpent's Fang!"

Terumi unleashed an aerial backward heel drop kick that punished Ragna to the ground. As Ragna recovered from the blow, Terumi landed right in front of him.

"Bloody Fangs!"

Terumi grabbed Ragna and shredded him with a twirling knife, stunning him.

"Now die mutt!" Terumi yelled. "SERPENT"S INFERNAL RAPTURE!"

Terumi disappeared, then reappeard kicking Ragna sky-high with a green pillar of energy, sending Ragna to the heavens. As he fell, Terumi stepped back a little.

"ETERNAL COILS OF THE DRAGON SERPENT!"

Terumi summoned a portal that snared Ragna when he landed, pulled him in for a barrage of slashes, and finished off by shooting three serpents that he summoned to take Ragna down.

"GAAUGH!" Ragna yelled as he crashed into the path.

"Ragna!" Saya yelled.

"Good Guy!" Tao yelled.

Terumi walked up to Ragna, and placed his knife up against Ragna's neck.

"Well? Why aren't you using your Azure?" Terumi asked. "With that, you could beat me lickety split!"

"What? And end this fight so quickly?" Ragna mocked. "You really wanna die that quickly?"

The comment ticked Terumi off, as he started to stomp on his face.

"AH!?" Terumi yelled. "The hell you say!? You!? Kill me!? I'd like to see you try!"

Terumi continued to stomp on Ragna's face, until Ragna stopped it by grabbing his foot.

"The tap dancing's frickin' annoying," he muttered. "You piece of shit!"

Ragna flung Terumi off of him and lifted his right arm.

"Blood Kain Idea!"

Ragna activated his Azure Grimoire, surging him with the power of the Azure. As Terumi got back up, Ragna was already charging at him with his sword.

"CARNAGE..." Ragna yelled as he hit Terumi with his sword. "SCISSORS!"

Ragna drove two crossing spikes of black energy at Terumi, hitting him multiple times until he was sent flying. As Terumi fell, Ragna charged at him, turning his right arm into a large claw, similar to Kain's Darkness Eater, and snatched Terumi as he fell.

"DEVOURED BY DARKNESS!"

Ragna lifted Terumi up over his head and bombarded him with a tempest of dark tendrils, until Terumi was blown back. But before he landed, Terumi shot a chain at Ragna, pulling him towards the dark knight.

"This ain't over yet!" Terumi yelled.

As spectators, Saya and Tao were watching Ragna fend off against Terumi with awe.

"Whoa...!" Tao said. "Good Guy's really strong!"

"Yeah..." Saya said. She looked nervously at Ragna.

'_But something's off...'_ Saya thought. _'This feeling...it's like I felt this somewhere before...it feels like...'_

As Ragna was about to kick Teurmi, some force suddenly restricted him.

"What the hell!?" Ragna yelled. "I can't move!"

Terumi stopped and looked at Ragna surprised, but became very agitated

"Damn it..." Terumi muttered. "Envy! Whotold you to get in the way!?"

From nowhere, Envy and Phantom teleported to Terumi, surprising everyone, while further irritating Terumi. Envy held Ragna up with his trance.

"Oh my, but I only wanted to help," Envy said nonchalantly. "You said that Ragna;s Idea Engine could help him kill you. So if we team up, then Ragna has no chance."

"Who the hell are you!?" Ragna yelled as he tried to break free from Envy's control.

"Oh, so you're the famous 'Grim Reaper'," Envy said. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Envy. AS you may have guessed, I am part of the NOL, siding with one Yuuki Terumi."

"So you're one of them!?" Ragna yelled.

"Indubitably," Envy said, until he noticed Saya. "Why, Saya! It has been a while."

"Envy...!" Saya growled.

"Oh don't be like that," Envy said. "I won't hurt you. But hm? How come I don't sense your Theios Anima Arma?"

"...None of your business asswipe!" Saya yelled.

"Oh, yes, I see..." Envy said. "Your Theios Anima Arma has its complications...so you must have not been able to reestablish it since you guys got here."

Saya scowled at Envy and was angry at herself for being powerless.

"Please, don't scowl at me, fair lady," Envy said. "And here I thought we were friends..."

"Don't give me that shit!" Sayay yelled. "You're the frickin' terrorist that's been terrorizing our town, and you're also responsible for all of this to begin with!"

"How mean," Envy said. "But I guess I can't deny it. Now then..."

Envy strangled Ragna with his powers, but barely letting him live.

"Ragna!" Saya cried.

"Now then," Envy said. "How should we do this?"

'_Damn it! IF only I had my Arma!'_ Saya thought. _'Then I could beat these two and save Ragna! What's taking you so long, Alicia!?'_

* * *

In the castle of eternal night, the fair purple-haired princess, Alicia, seemed to be tampering with a hoel of shadow.

"Madam Alicia," a voice said.

She turned to see Valkenhayn.

"Yes?" Alicia asked. "Does Madam Rachel request for an audience?"

"No," Valkenhayn said. "I am just curious about what you are doing."

"Oh, this," Alicia said. "I am just dragging something out of a 'rock and a hard place'."

"And this something is?" Valkenhayn asked.

"...Something very important to a dear friend," Alicai said. "Without it, she may fall in to despair..."

"I see..." Valkenhayn asked. "Perhaps I can be of assistance."

"Yes! That would be splendid, thank you very much!" Alicia exclaime.d "Now all I need you to do is to try and pull this out."

"As you command," the old butler said.

Valkenhayn walked up to the hole of shadow and put his hand into it. He found himself being sucked into the hole, but his strength kept him from sinking in. Evventually, he found himself grabbing something hard, sharp and heavy.

"Did you find something?" Alicia asked

"Yes," Valkenhayn said. "I do believe that this is what you are looking for."

After a hard pull, Valkenhayn pulled out a large sword that seemed to rival Valkenhayn's height.

"Thank you," Alicia said. "Now I need to send this back to its rightful owner."

"Is this..." Valkenhayn asked. "The Nox Nyctores Murakumo?"

"Not quite," Alicia said. "This is something stronger."

"Stronger?" Valkenhayn asked.

"Yes," Alicia said as she looked at the sword. "It is the Theios Anima Arma. Solum Divina: Kusanagi Souten."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN: **Wow. A lot went down there. Iris smacked talk Hakumen and Beast Kain is now facing off against him, Burai and Itsuki double Astral Heated Izayoi, Claude's group barge into Litchi vs Arakune, and Ragna is being trolled by Terumi while being strangled by Envy. You can expect a lot of action to go down next chapter, as what you've all been waiting for will finally happen!

See ya next time and don't forget to review!


	14. Chapter 14: Retaliation

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 14: Retaliation**

* * *

**AN:** Chapter 14 is up! And the moment you've been waiting for has finally come!

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_Gah! My head feels like it's about to burst!_

_Well I guess it can't go that smoothly one the first try..._

_But at least I can control it to an extent..._

_So, 'Hero'...let's see if you're raring for a 'rematch'!_

* * *

Beast Kain pushed back Hakumen as he got in front of Iris.

"Kain...!" Iris said. "But...?"

"Let's just say that I got some counseling," Beast Kain said.

"Are you alright?" she asked worried.

"Well, my mind feels like blowing up," Beast Kain replied. "But I can handle it."

"The Black Beast..." Kidou said. "So he managed to tame it..."

As Hakumen got back his balance, he fixed his gaze on the Black Beast.

"An abomination created by the Azure..." Hakumen said. "That form alone represents the plague that you are."

"How long do you plan to rip on me?" Beast Kain asked. "If you have a problem with 'me', then quick talking and do something about it!"

"You scum..." Hakumen said as he struck at Beast Kain without warning. Beast Kain however, saw this coming and intercepted it with his arm. "...So you show potential, at least."

"Kain!" Iris exclaimed.

"You figure out how to use your shield," Beast Kain said. "I'll hold him off until you do."

"Do not overestimate yourself," Hakumen said.

"I'm the Black Beast," Beast Kain retorted. "I can at least hold you off."

As the two backed off, Hakumen dashed at him, while Beast Kain aimed his arm at Hakumen and charged energy.

"Greed Buster!"

Beast Kain shot the energy at Hakumen, who only stopped halfway and attacked the energy with his blade, causing the energy to become a round black hole.

"What the!?" Beast Kain yelled.

"If you are truly good like the girl said..." Hakumen said. "Then prove to me that the power of the Black Beast is just not a mean of destruction!"

Hakumen stepped back from Beast Kain, poised for his next move.

"Activating Unit!" he yelled as he released the time-stopping distortion.

"Hakumen's Overdrive!?" Noel exclaimed.

"Then let me repay the feeling!" Beast Kain yelled. "Nightmare Soul!"

Beast Kain released the same distortion, further exerting his Azure.

"He's got an Overdrive too!?" Hikari exclaimed.

The two overdrived warriors glared at each other, and then dashed at clashed blades at each other.

* * *

Beast Kain dodged Hakumen's slash and thrusted his arm up releasing a flow of energy even more intense than before.

"Rage Sniper!"

He hit Hakumen's head, making him flinch. Using that chance Beast Kain lunged towards Hakumen and grabbed him. Beast Kain then lifted him up and stabbed him in the face. As Hakumen fell, Beast Kain grabbed Hakumen's leg and slammed him to the ground.

"Guha!" Hakumen yelped.

"Agony Wing!"

Beast Kain lunged his claw-like wing up, flinging Hakumen up into the sky. Beast Kain then flew up and slashed him over with his arm.

"Kuh! Not done yet!" Hakumen yelled. "Camellia!"

Hakumen slammed his sword in a spinning down motion, punishing Beast Kain to the ground. He managed to guard it with his arm, but ended up crashing into the ground.

"Kain!" Iris cried.

"Kuh! Stay back!" Beast Kain yelled. "I've got this!"

As Beast Kain got back up, Hakumen made a large red barrier.

"EMPTY SKY FORM..." Hakumen said, then slowly made a motion, grabbing his sword with both hands.

"Tch!" Beast Kain yelled as he started to lunge his arm.

Beast Kain furiously rushed forward with a forward slash, intercepting Hakumen's mach speed blade.

"PREDATOR STRIDE!"

"WINTER'S REPOSTE!"

The two collided blades, trying to push each other back.

"So you indeed put up a decent fight, Black Beast..." Hakumen said.

"You're getting damn annoying with all the 'Black Beast' crap!" Beast Kain yelled as he swiped his tail at Hakumen, making him trip. As he fell, Beast Kain grabbed Hakumen with his arm's jaw and lifted him up.

"Vile Executor!"

Beast Kain began to shoot Hakumen in the face and threw him across the ground. He then drove his arm into the ground.

"DEAD FLARE ABYSS!"

Pillars of dark lasers erupted from the ground, overwhelming Hakumen.

"Guagh!" Hakumen yelled.

As Hakumen fell to his knees, Beast Kain charged at him. But at the last second, Hakumen made a sweeping dash, catching Kain off guard. As he fell, Hakumen stomped on him, then slammed his sword's edge on Kain's head.

"Gauh!" Kain yelped as his head got pinned to the ground.

Iris was stuck watching the two fight, not being able to help because she couldn't use her shield properly.

"Why...?" Iris asked. "Even when I finally have power...I still can't do anything..."

She started to cry a little.

"I'm still powerless..." she weeped.

"Hey girl!" Azrael suddenly yelled from across the area, catching Iris' attention.

"Eh? Azrael?" Iris asked.

"Quit your crying and go help him!" Azrael yelled. "Isn't that why you wanted power!?"

"But..." Iris stammered. "I..."

"Quit being useless and believe in yourself, damn it!" Azrael yelled. "Just watching you like that is pissing me off!"

"! Believe in myself..." Iris said. '_That's right...why was I panicking...? The Luminous Aegis is my weapon...my power...I need to believe in myself...then it'll surely help me...!'_

As if it had answered her prayers, the Luminous Aegis suddenly glowed.

"Huh?" Iris asked. "Is this...?"

The Aegis continued to glow, as a warm light embedded Iris.

"...You're right..." Iris said. "I can do this! That is our purpose, after all!"

Beast Kain got thrown into the blockade, as Hakumen approached him.

"Kuh! I guess I shouldn't overdo it..." Beast Kain said.

"You fought valiantly..." Hakumen said. "But now it must end."

As Hakumen walked to Kain, Azrael charged up from behind.

"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Azrael screamed. "SCUD PUNISHMENT!"

Azrael charged his strength and jabbed Hakumen, making another icon appear on him. AS Hakumen flinched, Azrael rammed at him, but Hakumen managed to recover and grab him.

"Fool!" Hakumen yelled as he discharged energy from his palm at Azrael, sending him back.

"Gaha!" he gaged as he fell.

"Now then," Hakumen said as he approached Beast Kain. He tried to retaliate, but Hakumen stabbed his arm.

"Gaaaugh!" Beast Kain yelled.

"No more of that pesky arm," Hakumen said. He lifted his sword up high, and charged even more energy.

"EMPTY SKY FORM..."

The others who weren't in the battle, namely Noel and Hikari are practically losing it.

"Kidou!" Hikari yelled. "Let us help him!"

But Kidou didn't respond, or let them through.

"Damn it..." Beast Kain said. "Is this it...?"

But suddenly, Iris ran in front of Beast Kain.

"Iris!?" Noel exclaimed.

"You idiot!" Beast Kain yelled. "Get out of here!"

"Don't worry,' Iris said. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

"...farewell, girl..." Hakumen said. "SUMMER"S ADVANCE!"

* * *

Envy further strengthened his grip, making Ragna choke even more.

"Gaugh! Auugh!" Ragna gagged as he tried to free himself.

"Please don't try to resist," Envy advised. "You'll only make it worse."

Ragna glared at Envy as he tried to kick him, but Envy dodged it.

"Whoa, watch it there," Envy said. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'm just gonna need you to come with us."

"The hell're you talkin' about?" Terumi asked.

"Oh, apparently," Envy said. "The great Imperator ordered me to bring Ragna the Bloodedge to her. Alive. So killing him would be bad if our boss wants him alive, now isn't it?"

Terumi glared at Envy.

'_Should I trust him?'_ Terumi thought. _'But if there was an order like that, then whether she would have notified me or not, Relius should've told me about it before I got here. What's he planning...?'_

"Kee! Let go of Good Guy!" Tao suddenly yelled, charging at Envy with her claws. Envy just lifted his other arm, stopping Tao and lifting her up in the air.

"Huh?" Tao asked. "What's going on? Tao can't move!?"

"Ha ha ha," Envy said. "A lively one, aren't you? How cute..."

"Whoa there, keep your disgusting likings to yourself," Terumi said. "Honestly, I don't see why cats are 'cute'..."

"Oh lighten up, Captain," Envy said.

As Envy joked around with an annoyed Terumi, Saya just glared at the two, unable to do a thing.

'_Damn it! Why am I so powerless!?' _Saya thought. _'Hurry it up, Alicia!'_

* * *

"A 'Theios Anima Arma'?" Valkenhayn asked as he gently placed the sword to the ground. "I have never heard of such a device."

"That is understandable," Alicia said. "These armaments shouldn't even 'exist'."

"Then pray tell," a voice interrupted. "Why is one on my garden?"

They turned to see Rachel, with Nago and Gii following her.

"Madam Rachel," Valkenhayn exclaimed. "Is something a problem?"

"No, nothing is a problem," Rachel said. "I'm just curious as to what you are planning to do with such a dangerous piece of metal."

"This belongs to a friend," Alicia explained. "She lost it during her way here, so she asked me to retrieve it."

"How could she lose this?" Rachel asked. "If this armament is anything like the Murakumo, then your friend should always have access to it."

"Well, she has her 'circumstances'," Alicia replied. "So she lost her connection to it."

"You said 'Kusanagi' yes?" Valkenhayn asked. "How is that possible? I thought Noel Vermillion was Kusanagi, Sword of the Godslayer."

"...This Arma," Alicia said. "...is stronger than the Godslayer..."

"And why is that?" Rachel asked.

"Because this Arma, Kusanagi Souten," Alicia answered. "Is the upgraded version of the Kusanagi, and remodeled into a Murakumo, thus having similar traits to the Murakumo."

"Then why does it exist?" Rachel asked suspiciously. "No one is capable to make such a device, and those who are capable would need much more time than the window given to them from a month ago."

Alicia didn't respond, since she couldn't for her own reasons. Rachel stared at the girl, then sipped her tea.

"Very well," Rachel said, leaving the matter at that. "You will have to speak eventually, but for now, go deliver that to your friend."

Alicia looked up and rejoiced.

"Valkenhayn," Rachel ordered. "Help her carry the sword."

"As you wish, Madam," Valkenhayn said. He went over to carry the Kusanagi, as Alicia made a worm hole.

"Please, place the Kusanagi here," Alicia said. Valkenhayn did as he was told and placed the edge of the large sword into the hole, where it sank into the hole.

"Then I shall be on my way," Alicia said as she vanished into a black hole.

* * *

Ragna was at his limit. Only a few more moments, and he would choke to death die.

"I guess that's enough," Envy said, releasing Ragna from his grip. Ragna coughed and breathed heavily, as Terumi stepped on his head.

"So what does our boss want with him?" Terumi asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Envy said. "I only have my orders to bring him back."

Terumi glared at Envy, not believing him for a moment, while Ragna tried to push Terumi off.

"Get...the hell...off of me...!" he muttered.

"Ah!?" Terumi yelled. "Who the hell said you could talk!?"

Terumi proceeded to smash Ragna's face to the ground.

"Shitty mutts like you," Terumi said as he kept on smashing Ragna's head with his foot. "Should just stay down and kiss the ground!"

Terumi began to laugh insanely as he relished smashing Ragna's head to the ground.

"Good Guy!" Tao cried as she tried to break herself free.

"Ragna!" Saya cried.

"Oh, this must be painful for you to watch, isn't it Saya?" Envy asked. "Not being able to do a thing while someone important to you is being brutalized, yet you can't even do a thing to stop it."

Saya scowled at Envy as Terumi continued his merciless treatment.

"Stop it, Terumi!" Saya yelled.

"Ah?" Terumi asked angrily, stopping, but keeping his foot on Ragna's head. "The hell did you just say?"

"I said stop it!" Saya yelled.

"Saya...no..." Ragna struggled to say.

"Don't get so cocky, bitch!" Terumi yelled. "If you wanna die that badly, I'll be happy to oblige!"

Terumi shot a chain at Saya's direction.

"Saya...!" Ragna cried.

"Look out!" Tao yelled.

But the chain didn't hit her. Instead, the chain got blocked off by a dark hand that appeared out of a black hole.

"Huh...?" Ragna asked.

"What the hell!?" Terumi yelled.

"This is..." Saya said.

"Sorry for the wait," a voice said. From out of the hole, came out a purple haired maiden who landed on her feet with grace.

"Alicia!" Saya exclaimed with relief.

"Honestly," Alicia said. "Can't you go anywhere without bringing in trouble?"

"Never mind that!" Saya shot back hastily. "Did you retrieve my Arma? I need to help Ragna!"

"Ragna?" Alicia asked. She turned and saw Ragna, but under Terumi's feet. "That's the legendary Grim Reaper? Not must be his day today..."

"You think!?" Ragna yelled angrily. "Who the hell are you anyway!?"

"The 'Shadow Priestess'..." Envy said with much dismay. "Which means..."

"Yes, Envy," Alicia said with much malice in her tone. "You will lose here..."

"If I may," Envy rebutted. "I'm not going to die just yet."

"Have it your way," Alicia said as she snapped her fingers. A hole formed behind Saya, where the Kusanagi Souten dropped down behind her like a stone.

"!? The Kusanagi Souten!?" Envy exclaimed.

"Saya's Murakumo!?" Ragna exclaimed.

"What!? A Murakumo!?" Terumi yelled.

"Yes," Alicia said with confidence. "Surely you can to realize the situation that you are in now."

Envy let go of Tao and started to retreat.

"Terumi, I suggest we retreat," Envy said.

"What!?" Terumi yelled. "Why the hell should we!? I'm not running away from them!"

"Why don't you rest your stupid pride for one second," Envy suggested. "And think about the situation rationally. With her regaining her Arma, she is now a great threat. Even if you are being 'observed' or have a 'Life Link', you aren't safe from her."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Terumi asked annoyed.

"Let me show you!" Saya yelled. She stood in front of her Arma, as it started to react and flash a bright light, enveloping Saya as well. When it cleared, Saya had donned blue and white sword-based armor that surrounded her, showing off much of her skin, with large shoulder pads that seemed to have eyes on them. On her chest and palms of her hands lied pauldrons similar to Kain's and Ragna's. She also had on a head-gear that had long horns that covered her ears and pointed behind, where her long blonde hair with silver highlights gained a fray, as eight disembodied blades floated around her. AS she opened her eyes, her right eye became blue, while her left eye became red.

"What the hell...?" Terumi asked stunned.

"Tch... more problems showed up," Envy said. "Isn't that right? Saya? Or should I call you the 'Blue Witch'?"

* * *

Carl and Bang quickly rushed over to protect Litchi from Arakune.

"Miss Litchi!" Carl exclaimed. "Please stand back!"

"What are you guys doing here!?" Litchi asked.

"We came to rescue you of course, Miss Litchi!" Bang exclaimed.

Arakune started to roam around them, turning his mask clockwise and counter-clockwise over and over.

"Keh! Y-!" Arakune yelled, pointing to Bang.

"!? You're the fugitive that Miss Litchi was going after," Bang said. "What do you want!?"

"Yo-! T-at p-es-s the -re to - L-pin! G-e it...g-e it -o -e...!" Arakune yelled.

"You want the nail!?" Bang asked. "Sorry, but I cannot give it to you! This nail is the heart to the revival of Ikaruga, it has been given to me by Lord Tenjo! You shall not have it!"

"You f-l!" Arakune yelled. "You ca-t u-de-a-d its -ue! T-at na-l -l l-d to -he -uth ly-g - t- Azure! Ha-d it -r to me! Aakakakakakaka!"

"Miss Litchi," Carl asked. "What does it want with Mr. Bang's nail?"

"I'm not sure..." Litchi answered. "I was ordered to retrieve that nail from you...but now I realize that we can't let him get it..."

"Li-i...!" Arakune said. "Why -re -u s-g -ith the N-L? Why!?"

"I wanted to save you!" Litchi yelled desperately. "The NOL might have a cure for you!"

"You...idiot..." Arakune struggled to say. "I...I...kehehehehehehee!"

Arakune suddenly laughed psychotically, then assaulted them, but only to suddenly fall back after almost getting hit by Sieg's claw. Claude and Mary jumped in to defend the three.

"Sorry," Mary said. "But we're gonna have to beat the crap out of you."

"You three," Claude said. "Our best option for now is to get out of here."

While Carl and Bang agreed, Litchi protested against it.

"I'm not leaving him again!" Litchi yelled.

"Miss Litchi!" Claude reasoned. "None of us can last any longer in this seithr filled cesspool! Sieg's barrier won't last longer. If we don't get out of here before it shorts out, then we're all in danger!"

"But...!" Litchi exclaimed.

"...Goddamn it..." Kokonoe's voice said through Tager's transceiver. "No matter where you go, you're still an idiot..."

"Professor!?" Litchi exclaimed.

On cue, a bunch of gasmasks appeared in front of everyone.

"Wear those!" Kokonoe ordered. "They should keep you safe from the seithr poisoning you. Now since he's there, Tager! Makoto! Bring back that piece of shit!"

"Understood," Tager said as he and Makoto wore their gasmasks and entered the fight.

"Professor?" Litchi asked nervously as Tager handed them their gasmasks.

"...Better to keep him in a cage here," Kokonoe said. "Then to have him run loose outside with them."

"Kokonoe...?" Arakune said. "Kokonoe...Kokonoe...! Kokonoeee! You! You You you you! Why -d y-u l-t L-chi j-n the NOL!? You -ecile!"

"Keh! I can never understand you, Lotte," Kokonoe scoffed. "But I know when I'm insulted. Tager! Makoto! Neutralize him!"

On cue, Tager rushed at Arakune by thrusting his arm in a slicing motion.

"I didn't want to do this, old friend..." Tager said. "But this is for your sake as well! Sledge Hammer!"

Tager slammed his arm over Arakune, slamming him to the ground.

"Gadget Finger!"

Tager picked up Arakune and magnetized him. As Arakune fell down, he warped back for some distance, but Makoto jumped behind him.

"Corona Upper!"

Makoto uppercut Arakune, then energy into her tonfas.

"Meteor Dive!"

She followed up with a dunk punch, shooting Arakune to the ground.

"Kehe! Y-u -sts!" he muttered as he disappeared into the ground.

"Where did he go!?" Makoto yelled.

"Don't let your guard down!" Tager warned. "You can never know what he'll do!"

As they looked around, Arakune reappeared and dived down shaped like a mouth of a monster ramming Makoto.

"Kyaa!" she yelled as she fell to the ground.

"Makoto!" Tager yelled.

As Arakune went to assault Makoto, Mary shot like a bullet and slammed Arakune's mask with her gauntlet and flung him into the ground.

"Pegasus Bomber!"

Mary dived down and slammed a punch shaped like a winged horse at Arakune, shoving him into the ground.

"Ew, gross!" Mary yelled as she tried to wipe off the black slime that Arakune was made of.

"Mary!" Claude yelled. "You handle Arakune!"

"What about you!?" Mary asked.

Claude faced the seithr orb that floated in the room.

"...So that's what Kidou was talking about..." he said. "...we're going to destroy that!"

Arakune heard that and started to become aggressive.

"No...nononononononoo!" Arakune screamed. "D-'t -u -are to-h -t!"

Arakune suddenly shifted his aim at Claude and Sieg, but Litchi and Bang got in his way.

"I won't let you hurt Sir Claude!" Bang yelled.

"Please, Lotte!" Litchi exclaimed. "Get a hold of yourself!"

"Keh!" Arakune muttered as he fell back. But as he fell back, Bullet snuck up behind him, grabbed him and pummeled him into the ground.

"Sorry, but we're going to have to get rid of you!" Bullet said.

"That's right you load of crap!" Luna yelled.

"Do we really have to fight that?" Amane asked half-heartedly. "It'll get my clothes dirty."

"Is this really the time to be bitching about that!?" Luna yelled.

"Kuh! At t-s -e, -is wi- -ake -o -g..." Arakune said.

He jumped into the air and started to summon bugs from the ground, parading through the entire floor. They all barely dodged the swarm of bugs, while not noticing Arakune producing a bunch of gas clouds that descended upon them. They ended up breathing it in, trying to cough it out. Before they realized it, red rings appeared around them.

* * *

Jin finally managed to heal himself, and rushed over to the two.

"Jin!" Burai exclaimed. "You're all right!"

"Never mind that," Jin said. "What about Tsubaki?"

"I'm sure she won't be getting up that easily soon enough," Itsuki said. Jin only gave Itsuki a cold glare.

"What's your deal?" Jin asked. "Just when we think you're an enemy, you help us..."

"...I let my bloodlust get the best of me..." Itsuki said shamefully. "But Burai helped me break free from my obsession."

"Hmph! I find it hard to believe," Jin retorted. "You can't just change like that...it takes time for someone to change..."

"Do as you please," Itsuki said.

"Well now," Jubei said. "Nice work there, everyone!"

"Wait a minute," Burai said. "Why didn't you help out!? You're one of the Six Heroes! We could've used your help, ya' know!"

"And who's the one who told me to watch over their friend?" Jubei asked in return. Burai tried to make a rebuttle, but was caught in his own logic.

"Damn you..." Burai muttered. "So...how's Tsubaki...?"

They loked to see Izayoi, who struggled to get up.

"Impossible!" Itsuki yelled. "She shouldn't be able to get up from that!"

"Oh come on!" Burai yelled.

"I...I'm not done yet...!" Izayoi muttered.

But as she was trying to get up, Jin placed his blade next to her neck.

"Yo, Jin!" Burai yelled worried.

Jin only gave Izayoi a cold stare. Itsuki looked worried at them, as Izayoi looked up to see his face.

"...Do it..." Izayoi said. "I would rather die than admit defeat to you sinners..."

Jin didn't respond. Izayoi was prepared to accept her death, but Jin put away his sword and turned away.

"...What is the meaning of this...?" Izayoi asked. "Why!? Jin Kisaragi!"

Jin didn't turn around to her.

"...If you still want to exact your justice..." Jin said. "Then strike me down, now."

They were all shocked, as Jin placed his Yukianesa besides him, and kicked it towards Jubei. Izayoi was speechless. But she grabbed her sword, limped towards Jin and lifted the sword high enough to strike him.

"Jin!" Burai yelled.

"No!" Itsuki cried.

But as Izayoi was about to strike Jin down, she couldn't. There was no power stopping her, but still she couldn't find herself to slice Jin. Her hands were shaking violently.

"What's the matter?" Jin asked. "Aren't you going to do it?"

"Don't rush me!" Izayoi started to panic. She didn't understand why she couldn't strike down Jin. He was indeed a sinner and a rebel against the Imperator. He must be punished. But yet, Izayoi couldn't do it.

"Why...?" She asked, breaking down to her knees, dropping the sword. "Why can't I do it?"

"...You're starting to doubt your justice..." Jin said. "You know that this is wrong..."

"Q-Quiet!" Izayoi yelled. "I never doubt my loyalty to the Imperator! I am her sword! I will exact justice to those who deserve punishment!"

"Then why don't you strike me down?" Jin asked.

Izayoi couldn't make a rebuttle. Even she didn't know why.

"What are you waiting for?" Jin asked. "I am a traitor of the NOL, rebelled against the Imperator, and I'm the brother of the SS Class criminal, Ragna the Bloodedge. You have more than enough reason to punish me."

"I know!" Izayoi yelled, desperately. "I know...yet..."

"...Tsubaki..." Jin said. "You're a gentle, noble, and righteous woman. You can reach great opportunities...I know you can. Your righteousness is truly something to be proud of, but you should learn not to be overzealous of it. Other than that, you're a true jewel. Someone like me isn't good enough to be with you, even if you wish it. So..."

Jin turned to Izayoi, with a rather sad expression.

"Don't become like me..." Jin said softly. "...Come back..."

Izayoi looked flabbergasted. Then, her head started to hurt. She couldn't explain her pain. It was as if her soul was retaliating against her.

"Gah!" she yelped as she stepped back. The pain was making her confused. She was starting to question herself. Was this truly right? They haven't done anything wrong, yet she claims that their criminals. Is this truly justice?

"J...Jin..." Izayoi murmured. "N...Noel...Please...save me..."

Jin looked up, but Izayoi flew up and jetted away from them.

"Tsubaki!" Jin cried, but she was long gone.

"...Jin..." Burai said.

Itsuki said nothing, but looked anguished. Jin didn't respond at all. He felt really tired, despite his body being at full condition. He went over and reclaimed the Yukianesa from Jubei, then sat down on the dirty ground and rested his tired soul.

* * *

"Gah! What the hell!?" Mary coughed.

"Kuh! This was his trap!?" Bullet exclaimed. "What's he up to!?"

"Kehe! -oo -te!" Arakune yelled as he released a distortion that stopped time. He jumped into the air afterwards. At his signal, a storm of bugs started to assault them, coming from all directions.

"Damn!" Tager yelled as he fended off the bugs. "We're going to have to endure this!"

But Arakune appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Tager.

"What!?" Tager yelled.

Arakune ate him whole, then spat him out, where cocoon like bugs descended out of nowhere, hitting Tager.

"Everything should crumble," Arakune said as he transformed into what appeared to be a monstrous spider and shot a laser from above, shooting Tager.

"Guogh!" Tager yelled.

"Tager!" Makoto yelled. She tried to help, but the bugs got in the way. "Damn it!"

Sieg managed to claw down all the bugs that came its way, and managed to reach the seithr orb.

"Sieg!" Claude yelled. "Spiccato!"

Sieg's claws grew out and spiked at the orb, but it had no effect.

"Damn!" Claude muttered. "No good huh..."

"G-t -ay -m t-!" Arakune screamed as he assaulted Sieg. This however, gave everyone a chance to break free from the storm.

"Now!" Amane exclaimed. "KAIZOKU SENKŌ: GŌKAI RASEN RENPA!"

Amane released several drills with his cloth, murdering all the bugs that were on the ground and surrounding everyone else.

"Thank you!" Litchi exclaimed.

"No worries!" Amane responded. "Now go get him!"

Litchi and Bang rushed at Arakune, who tried to attack Sieg, but in turn got strangled by Sieg and thrown across the room. Bang jumped up and grabbed Arakune, then launched him into a series of teleports and kicks.

"Heavenly Ascention!" Bang yelled as he finished off his barrage with a final kick. "Bang Drop EX!"

As Arakune fell to the ground, Litchi came into the pursuit.

"Tsubame Gaeshi!"

Litchi launched her staff at Arakune, where it hit him, then nailed him to the ground.

"Chun, Hatsu, Haku!"

Litchi then attacked Arakune overhead, then rised up with the same attack, then moved forward with a low attack, all connecting. As Arakune landed, Litchi landed first, and got positioned herself.

"ALL GREEN!"

Litchi created a flaming blast that burned Arakune.

"Gaaaaugh!" Arakune screamed as he fell.

"Lotte!" Litchi cried as she ran to his side.

"Kuh! -t a-ay!" Arakune yelled. Arakune pushed her away and raced after Sieg, who was still trying to destroy the seithr orb.

"ARPEGGIO OF OBLIVION!"

Nirvana suddenly rushed at Arakune and confined him in an aura that she made that formed into a ball, which led to exploding him.

"Keheeee!?" Arakune yelled.

"Carl!" Claude exclaimed.

"Now!" Carl yelled.

Claude nodded and raced to Sieg.

"Overclock!" Claude yelled, releasing his Overdrive. "RAPIDO FORTISSIMO!"

Sieg suddenly surged with energy, then transformed into a fighter jet that rammed into the seithr orb, cutting it in half.

"Yes!" Claude exclaimed.

"Nonono!" Arakune screamed as he squirmed out of Nirvana's grasp. "The s-hr! It's r-ed!"

"Lotte..." Litchi said sadly. As Arakune seemed to break down, he suddenly stopped.

"Kehe!?" Arakune yelled. "KEHEEEEE!?"

Arakune started to react violently to something. He violently swung around in pain, as black ooze spurted out from him. He didn't seem to have control over himself. As if he was under some sort of trance.

"What the!?" Tager yelled.

"What's going on!?" Bullet exclaimed.

"Aaaagaagagaa!?" Arakune screamed. "Akakakakakaahuhguhu!?"

He suddenly stopped, and looked up to the group.

"Lit...chi..." Arakune moaned.

"!? Lotte...!?" Litchi asked.

* * *

Saya, donned in her armor of Kusanagi, glared at the two.

"Tch! As if I didn't have enough problems already," Envy said, preparing to make his leave.

"Whoa, whoa!" Terumi yelled. "Where do you think you're going!?"

"Are you kidding me?" Envy asked. "I'm not gonna deal with that weapon of mass destruction! She's more trouble than she's worth!"

"So you're just gonna chicken out like this!?" Terumi yelled.

"Of course," Envy said. "I'd rather be a live chicken than be a dead chicken. I'll leave a portal for you, so feel free to get out whne you feel like it."

He created a portal from his hand and made it appear behind Terumi.

"Good luck then," Envy said, vanishing.

"Tch! Wimp..." Terumi muttered, but then glared at Saya nervously.

"Saya..." Ragna said.

"Ragna..." Saya said. "I'll save you!"

Terumi got off Ragna and shifted his aim at her.

"Just because you have a Murakumo of your own," Terumi said. "Don't think you can still beat me, bitch!"

"Oh, you think so?" Saya asked. "Then let me show you my power, 'shitty mutt'."

Terumi twitched.

"No one calls me..." Terumi said. "A SHITTY MUTT!"

Terumi dashed at Saya trying to land a hit, but Saya blocked it with her swords. She then summoned two blue orbs by her side that released a storm of lasers at Terumi.

"Guoagh!?" Terumi yelled as he got blasted by the laser tempest.

Saya made a mad dash at him, then made a heel drop kick on Terumi's head, slamming him on the ground while cutting his head open.

"Guagh! You little–!" Terumi muttered. "Venom Sword!"

Terumi shot his energy sword at Saya, but Saya created a barrier with her swords, blocking the energy sword attack. She then proceeded to produce more blue orbs that blasted Terumi with a storm of lasers. Terumi dodged all the lasers, but walked into Saya's trap.

"Rupturing Heavens!"

At her command, all the orbs that floated near her suddenly unleashed one concentrated laser from each orb that nailed Terumi.

"Gaugh!" Terumi gagged.

Saya created more orbs to shoot him, but Terumi snapped.

"You bitch!" Teurmi screamed as he snared her in a portal. He dragged her with a chain, unleashed a storm of slashes, and then summoned three serpents to finish her. "Don't get ahead of yourself!"

As Saya flew back, she regained her balance and flew into the air. Terumi used the opportunity to shoot a chain at her to drag her back to the earth, but Saya dodged it and dove down towards Terumi and smashed her blade of a leg in Terumi's gut.

"Guog!?" he yelped as he tried to recover from the pain. But Saya quickly grabbed Terumi, lifted him in the air where her blades stabbed him, and then slammed him to the ground.

"Hades Punishment!"

Saya shot some of her swords behind and made them disappear. Then, they reappeared under Terumi as dark blades and stabbed him from under, lifting him into the air. Saya followed up by pursuing him and stabbing and slashing him with her blades, then slammed her blades on him, shooting him into the ground. Ragna and Tao were only left to watch Saya in action, in awe.

"Holy crap!" Tao exclaimed excitedly. "Funny Lady's kicking Scary Guy's ass!"

"What the hell..." Ragna only said.

She summoned more orbs to shoot at Terumi, as she brought her blades to her, and put them together to form two longer blades.

"Sword of Divine Light!"

She lunged them forward, creating an energy sword of light that stabbed Terumi

"Guh!" Terumi yelled. "Whoa whoa whoa! She's frickin' insane!"

Saya already had Terumi in a corner, and she hadn't even broke a sweat. She smirked at Terumi, full of confidence.

"Don't get cocky!" Terumi yelled as he raced up to Saya while dodging her strikes, grabbed her head and slammed it against his knee. As she flinched, Terumi disappeared.

"SERPENT'S INFERNAL RAPTURE!"

Terumi reappeared and kicked Saya sky-high. As she flew, Terumi shot a chain at her as she fell, then swung her to the ground. Saya however managed to regain her balance and summoned more blue orbs.

"TEMPEST OF DIVINE WRATH!"

All of the orbs suddenly shot myriads of lasers that aimed at Terumi from all angles, giving the snake little-to-no chance of dodging it.

"Gaaaguh!" Terumi yelled as he got blasted. As he got back up, Saya was still raring for another strike.

"Tch! You bitch!" Terumi yelled. "I'll show you true power!"

As he lifted his arms, he released the time-stopping distortion, along with a green ring that surrounded him.

"Shit! He's using his Azure Grimoire!" Ragna yelled.

As Terumi was about to strike, he suddenly stopped.

"Huh?" Saya asked.

"Tch! At a time like this...!" Terumi yelled frustrated. "...yeah yeah, whatever!"

Terumi headed back to the hole that Envy set up for his retreat.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!?" Saya yelled.

"I've got more important shit to do!" Terumi shot back. "We'll settle this next time, witch! And when that happens, I'll show you what true power and despair looks like, shitty girl!"

With that, Terumi jumped into the hole, making his escape. Saya sighed in relief as Ragna and Tao went up to her.

"That was awesome, Flashy Lady!" Tao exclaimed.

"Flashy Lady?" Saya asked. "I guess it's better than Funny Lady."

"...What the hell are you?" Ragna asked. "Even if you are a Murakumo Unit...that was far from anything I ever saw..."

Saya sort of looked nervous as she looked to the ground.

_What the hell...!? She managed to get Terumi in a corner! Glad that she's on our side..._

But then Saya looked up to the horizon, where the blockaded district lied.

"This feeling..." Saya said.

"Huh?" Ragna asked.

This feeling was all familiar to Saya. A good feeling that made her tingle inside. Something so good, that she couldn't help but smile and get excited. Her quiet giggle started to become more and more psychotic.

"BROTHER!" Saya exclaimed as she suddenly bulleted towards the blockaded district.

"What the!? Hey wait, Saya!" Ragna yelled.

"Whoa, Flashy Lady!" Tao exclaimed.

"Oh my..." Alicia said. Ragna turned to Alicia for some answers.

"Hey, you're her friend right!?" he asked. "What the hell was that!?"

"She must have sensed her brother nearby," Alicia said matter-of-fact.

"Her brother?" Ragna asked. "You mean-!?"

Alicia nodded.

_The dude that can become the Black Beast..._

"...We're going after her, Tao," Ragna said.

"All right, Good Guy!" Tao said.

"Then let us depart," Alicia said.

She summoned a black hole, where all three of them sunk into it.

* * *

"Lotte!?" Litchi cried. "Is that you!?"

"How's that possible!?" Kokonoe yelled.

"You all need to get out of here!" Arakune yelled. "It isn't safe here...you all need to get out of here!"

"What're you babbling about!?" Bullet said. "First you attack us, then you want to help us escape!?"

"Just go!" Arakune yelled. "Before it's too late!"

"Calm down Lotte!" Tager said. "Just what's this all about!?"

"The seithr..." Arakune explained. "It wasn't formed by anything of this world..."

"What?" Kokonoe asked. "Then it was created from the Boundary?"

"No..." Arakune said. "It was created from somewhere else..."

"Where!?" Tager asked.

"I...auuagh!" Arakune screamed in pain. He started to struggle against himself again.

"He's starting to lose it!" Makoto said.

"...Arakune..." Carl asked. "If you're working for the NOL...Then do you know Relius Clover?"

Arakune looked up at Carl and Nirvana.

"...you m-st be his child..." Arakune said, gathering what little sanity he has left. "...Whate-r you do, d-n't let -im get the Rettenjo..."

"You mean Mr. Bang's nail?" Carl asked.

"If he -ets it..." Arakune struggled to say. "Then -he wor- will be de-oyed..."

"Why!?" Carl asked.

"Phoenix: Rettenjo..." Arakune explained. "The Anti-Nox Ny-ores...with it...Relius Clover can ne-tralize the f-ction of seithr!"

"What!?" they all exclaimed.

"Why would he do that Lotte!?" Litchi asked.

"...Litchi..." Arakune responded. "Don't...go after me anymore..."

"But we can–!" Litchi tried to rebuttal.

"No! You can't!" Arakune yelled. "Go back to Sector Seven and let Kokonoe cure you! It's too late for me...I don't want to see you with the same fate!"

"Same fate?" Makoto asked.

"If you co-inue your path to try to s-e me..." Arakune said. "Then you'll end up like me!"

"WHAAAT!?" Bang yelled, looking as if he was about to faint.

"Get a hold of yourself, scruffy old man!" Luna yelled.

"Well we get all of the information and its purpose..." Amane said. "But why would you tell us? How would it benefit you?"

"...I don't w-t to -e her..." Arakune only stated. "...make the same mistake that I did..."

"Lotte..." Litchi said.

"...Arakune..." Claude said. "Do you know anything about a masked jester named 'Envy'?"

Arakune suddenly shot up like a bullet after hearing 'Envy'.

"Envy...?" Arakune asked. "Envy...! Envy! Envy! Envy! Aaugauah!"

"Whoa calm down!" Mary yelled.

"That -tard!" Arakune yelled. "He must die! -ever you do...don't l-t him get the seithr orbs... don't let him achieve his goal!"

"What is it!?" Claude asked. "And what do the seithr orbs have to do with it!?"

"That's–!" Arakune said.

"I'm sorry," a voice interrupted. "But I'm going to have to stop you there."

They all turned to see a masked jester walking out from the darkness.

"Envy!" Claude and Mary yelled.

"Well well, if it isn't the 'Blasphemy Twins'," Envy said. "Still being an abomination to society I see..."

"Why you!" Claude yelled.

"Honestly," Envy said, ignoring Claude. "I set you free from the Colonel's brainwashing or a minute, and you almost reveal my plans. I don't mind if you spoil their plans, but please try to keep mine a secret for now."

"You!" Arakune yelled.

They all got ready to fight him, but Claude and Mary stopped them.

"We need to get out of here..." Claude said.

"What!?" Bullet protested.

"He's not an enemy that anyone of us," Claude shot back. "Even banded together, can even lay a finger on!"

"Although it pisses me off," Mary said. "Claude's right..."

"Well what do you know," Envy said mockingly. "The squirrel has some brains..."

Mary tried to contain her rage, as Sieg got in front of everyone and started to create a portal.

"Oh hey there, 'Palladion'," Envy said. "Oh wait, your name is 'Sieg' or whatever."

Sieg stopped.

"You're still being called that nickname, huh?" Envy asked. "Well I guess it's only natural...since that's the only thing left of your humanity that you can even claim is yours..."

Sieg started to twitch.

"How's it feel?" Envy asked. "To be stripped from your humanity and becoming that puppet? Well, I guess it's better than being dead and letting those abominations be sad, now is it?"

Sieg stopped what it was doing and assaulted Envy with its claw. Envy guarded it with a barrier he made instantly.

"Huh? Are you angry?" Envy asked. "Well I'll be surprised...so you still have your emotions with you...and let me guess, you're angry because not only did I insult you, but I insulted those freaks of society that you're babysitting, aren't you?"

Envy grabbed Sieg's arm and flung him overhead.

"Sieg!" Claude and Mary cried.

Sieg got back up and rushed after Envy.

"Stop! Sieg!" Claude yelled.

Sieg suddenly stopped on a heartbeat and looked up to Claude.

"Stop..." he said, his voice breaking. "I don't want to lose you again...!"

Sieg stopped for a moment, then teleported by Claude's side.

"Kokonoe!" Tager yelled.

"Just give me a minute!" she yelled back from the transceiver.

After a moment, the group were suddenly surrounded by a distortion that was ready to transport them out of there.

"Do you really think you can escape from me?" Envy asked as he shot a needle of energy at Litchi. She braced herself, but Arakune took the hit for her.

"What?" Envy asked.

"Lotte!?" Litchi exclaimed.

"I'll hold him off..." Arakune said. "Litchi..."

"But–!" she pleaded.

"...You must live on..." Arakune said. "You deserve to..."

"Lotte...!"

"KOKONOE!" he screamed.

Litchi tried to grab Arakune, but she was teleported out of the room along with everyone else juts as she was about to get a grip on him. Arakune was left with Envy.

"Oh, bravo..." Envy said. "You've chosen your own demise..."

"You...! Who the hell are you!?" Arakune yelled. He transformed into a giant eyeball and lunged at Envy.

"So you chose to fight dying I see..." Envy said. "How noble, but..."

Envy placed his hand on his mask and released a time-stopping distortion, then stopped Arakune with a larger barrier than before.

"Do you really think that a worthless bug like you," Envy asked. "Could ever be a hero?"

Envy pushed Arakune back, then got a hold of him with his trance and lifted him up into the air.

"Gaugh! Gauuugh!" Arakune gagged, trying to breathe. Envy further tightened his grip, making Arakune gag even more.

"Lotte Carmine..." Envy said. "...this is farewell..."

"Gaugh!?"

Envy finally closed his hand, and with it, Arakune suddenly imploded, leaving only a dead pile of black sludge and bugs, along with his crude mask to drop to the ground. Envy turned to see the damaged seithr orb halves.

"Now what should we do about this?" he asked. "My god...that hunk of metal really did a number on this."

Envy thought about it for a moment, then looked back at the remains of Arakune.

"...Didn't he have some connections to the Boundary...?" he asked. "...I guess it'll have to do..."

Envy made Arakune's remains float, where he carried it to the seithr orb halves. The remains suddenly reacted violently, as they merged with the halves, connecting them back together, and even made the orb grow in size.

"Oh?" Envy said. "It looks like he did more than I expected in repairing the orb."

Envy stared at the orb, and then prepared to leave.

"Now...I need to make an excuse to Relius for killing his pet..." Envy said as he vanished.

* * *

As Hakumen dropped the edge towards Iris, she brandished her shield.

"God Aegis!"

Iris released the time-stopping distortion, then blocked Hakumen's fatal strike.

"What!?" he yelled.

With all of her strength, Iris pushed Hakumen back, sending the energy back at him. Startled, Hakumen stepped back from Iris.

"What was that!?" Hakumne yelled.

"Iris' Overdrive!?" Beast Kain yelled.

Iris then proceeded to aim her shield at Hakumen.

"Shine Blaster!"

From the Aegis shot out an immense laser that got Hakumen in the gut.

"Guogh!" he gagged.

As he recovered, Iris grabbed the Aegis by the edge and aimed it at Hakumen.

"Aegis Boomerang!"

Iris flung the Aegis at Hakumen, where it slashed him, then returned to Iris, who ran up and caught it.

"Aegis Striker!"

Iris charged at Hakumen with the Aegis, ramming him away from her.

"Aegis Crawling!"

Iris rolled the Aegis at Hakumen, scraping against him and making him trip.

"Crap!" he yelled as he fell. But Iris wasn't done there.

"LUSTER BLAZER!"

Iris held the Aegis up, where it shot a tremendous beam of light at Hakumen, wiping him out.

"Guaaagh!" he yelled as the light overwhelmed him. Once it ended, the distortion cleared, and Hakumen was barely standing up. Iris, however, collapsed.

"Iris!" Noel and Hikari cried.

"Looks like the burden was too great." Kidou said

"Whoa..." Beats Kain said in amazement.

"...Interesting..." Azrael said.

Hakumen got back on his feet and went to the two.

"Not bad..." Hakumen said. "But that shall not stop me..."

Hakumen pushed Iris aside and aimed for Kain.

"Kain!" Hikari cried.

As Hakumen struck at him, Beast Kain grabbed Hakumen's sword.

"What!?" he exclaimed.

"You wanna see power that badly..." Beast Kain said. "...then here!"

He threw back Hakumen's sword and grabbed his face with his left hand.

"**BLACK ARMAGEDDON!**"

Beast Kain crushed Hakumen in his grasp, then flung him into the air. He pursued Hakumen and slaughtered him in a storm of blade strikes and claw slashes until Beast Kain knocked him out and flew into the sky, where it became black within seconds.

"What the...!?" Noel exclaimed.

Soon, from the black abyss in the sky, several red eyes started to glow from it, glaring at Hakumen.

"THIS IS THE POWER..." Beast Kain's voice echoed. "OF THE BLACK BEAST!"

From the abyss, eight large serpentine heads shot out of the black and struck at Hakumen.

"GUUUAAGH!" he cried as the beast struck at him. The black abyss cleared, with Hakumen falling to the earth completely beaten, and Beast Kain floating back down with his wings. As he landed, his arm started to spark out.

"Gh! I can't handle it much more...!" he muttered. He flinched a little and forced the armor to dematerialize and flow back into his left arm, leaving him tired.

* * *

Kain breathed heavily a he went over to help Iris up.

"Yo...Iris..." Kain said gently.

"Huh...?" Iris asked as she woke up. "Did...we win?"

"Yeah..." Kain assured her.

"Did...I protect you...?"

"...Yeah..."

As the two got back up, Noel and Hikari ran up to them, with Kidou trailing from behind.

"That was amazing!" Noel exclaimed.

"As expected, Kain," Hikari said. "Although it was a little scary..."

"Yeah...sorry..." Kain said.

Azrael came from behind and slammed his head in his way of patting his head.

"Ha ha ha! Nice work there, kid!" Azrael exclaimed.

"Gah! That hurts!" Kain yelled.

"Good job ther' Kain," Kidou congratulated. "You managed to beat Hakumen of the Six Heroes."

Kain looked up to Kidou and gave him a blank stare.

"...Who the hell're you?" Kain asked.

"Na ha ha ha ha!" Kidou exclaimed as he slammed Kain in the back. "Right you still don't remember who I am!"

"Augh...you bastard..." Kain said in pain.

"The name's Kidou," Kidou said. "Nice to reunite with ya', Kain."

"Kidou...?" Kain asked. "...the name's Kain...sorry since I can't remember you..."

"It's fine,"Kidou said jovially. "You'll remember soon enough."

Kain eyed Kidou suspiciously.

_What's up with this guy...? This power...he's sure no push over, despite his laid back personality..._

Kidou noticed the glance from Kain, then grinned widely.

"Don't worry yer' pretty little head," Kidou said. "We'll fight it out eventually."

Kain looked surprised, but then something else came into their attention.

"BROOOOTHERRRRRR!" a faint voice that started to get louder and closer yelled.

"Geh!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Oh, this should be good..." Kidou said.

They all turned to the direction of the voice, where suddenly from the wilderness, a girl in what appeared to be a blue and white sword-based armor jetted out and happily rammed Kain.

"Guooooooaugh!?" Kain yelped as they rammed into the blockade, completely making it collapse.

"What the-!?" Iris and Noel exclaimed.

"Ah?" Azrael asked.

They all looked as the smoke cleared, where the armored girl was happily hugging Kain.

"Brother! I finally found you!" the girl happily exclaimed. "I was so worried about you! Did you miss me, brother?"

The girl looked up, but she saw that Kain was unconscious, his eyes completely white.

"Po...Potem..." he gagged as his head fell.

"Brother!" the girl cried. "What happened!? Who did this to you!?"

"Obviously you!" Hikari yelled angrily.

She turned to see the group, where she recognized Hikari and Kidou.

"Ah! Kidou! Hikari!" the girl exclaimed. "You guys were all right!"

"Yes...now get off Kain!" Hikari yelled angrily. "You're crushing him!"

The girl got off Kain, where he managed to regain consciousness.

"Ugh...what the hell...?" Kain asked. "That felt like getting hit by a truck..."

"Ah! Brother! You're all right!" the girl exclaimed with joy.

Kain looked up to see the girl.

"Who the hell're you?" Kain asked.

The girl looked devastated as she stepped back.

"Eh!?" the girl yelled. "Y-You're kidding, right...? You couldn't have forgotten about me...right...?"

"It's no use, Saya," Hikari said. "Kain has amnesia. He doesn't remember anything or anyone."

The girl called Saya dropped down to her knees in depression.

"No way..." Saya mumbled sadly. "It must be a lie..."

"Uh...Saya...was it?" Kain asked.

Saya looked up and suddenly grabbed his face.

"What the!?" he yelled.

"You've got to remember, Brother!" she exclaimed. "I'm your little sister! Saya! And we're lovers!"

"What!?" Kain yelled.

"Is that true!?" Iris exclaimed.

"Like hell it is!" Hikari yelled angrily.

As Kain got Saya off of him, a black hole suddenly appeared from the sky.

"Now what!?" Kain yelled.

"That's–!" Kidou exclaimed.

From the hole, three people dropped down to the ground. One had long, purple hair and wore a black and white dress, the other was a catgirl wearing a beige colored hoodie with a cat hood and long cat-themed sleeves that covered her arms, while the third person was a man with white spiky hair, different colored eyes, a red coat and had a sword like Kain, not to mention that his physical appearance looks like Kain's.

"Damn it, Saya..." the man said. "Where'd you run off–!?"

"Alicia!" Kidou exclaimed.

"? Kidou? Hikari?" Alicia asked.

The others took notice to the man.

"! That's..." Azrael said.

"Ragna!" Noel exclaimed with a little joy.

"What!?" Kain and Iris shouted.

They turned to Ragna. Indeed, he was the 'Grim Reaper', the one that the two have searched for this whole time. Kain got up from Saya and stared at Ragna.

"You're..." Kain asked with shock and a bit awe. "...Ragna the Bloodedge...?"

"Huh?" Ragna responded. "Yeah? So?"

The two red swordsman utilizing the Azure stared at each other, where Kain was amazed, Ragna looked confused.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** After so many challenges and intense battles, Kain and Ragna finally meet! How will this go down? Meanwhile, Saya regained her Theios Anima Arma and became a destructive force to deal with. Izayoi's started to doubt herself after not being able to kill Jin. And yes, Arakune is dead. Sorry to all of those Arakune users, but at least he died in glory. This is what happens when you let a crazy masked psychopath roam around.

And some more drive/overdrive explanations

Saya

Drive: Nemesis Storm: Allow her to summon orbs like Mu and her bits, but instead of shooting just one laser, Saya can shoot a bunch of lasers that follow the enemy.

Overdrive: Blue Heaven: Saya activates her Azure Grimoire, boosting her orbs' attacks and herself.

Until next time!


	15. Chapter 15: Azure Fate

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 15: Azure Fate**

* * *

**AN: **Chapter 15 is up and here! A little shorter than the other chapters, but again, like with Beast Kain's début, the battle in store will make up for it. I hope.

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

* * *

_That's...Ragna the Bloodedge...!_

_I finally found him...!_

_With him...I can finally get my memories back!_

* * *

Kain was staring at Ragna in shock. He finally found the one person in the world who might have a key to his memories.

"...So?" Ragna finally asked after some silence. "...You're Saya's brother?"

"...Seems like it..." Kain responded.

Ragna looked around to see the others, and noticed Noel.

"!? Noel!?" Ragna exclaimed.

"R-Ragna..." Noel said, blushing a little.

"...I thought you were with Sector Seven," Ragna said. "Looking for your friend. Tsubaki, was it?"

"Well, a lot happened..." Noel said. "And now I'm traveling with Kain and Iris who were looking for you."

"Kain?" Ragna asked, then looked at the boy. "...That's your name?"

"Yeah," Kain said.

"Heh..." Ragna said. "...and whose bright idea was it to bring the 'Mad Dog' with them?"

Azrael looked up and glared at Ragna.

"So you're the Grim Reaper..." Azrael said with some interest. "...I only tagged along so that I could face you in a fight."

"Tch...As if I didn't have enough crap to deal with..." Ragna said.

He then looked at Kain.

"...Well?" Ragna asked. "What do you want with me?"

"Kain..." Iris said.

This was his chance. He walked up to Ragna.

"Ragna..." Kain said. "Do you know who I am...?"

"Huh?" Ragna asked.

"Please! Any hint will do!" Kain exclaimed. "Who am I!? Why am I here!? Did we ever fight!?"

"Whoa! Calm down there!" Ragna said. "Look, how the hell should I know someone who I just met?"

"This is our first time we met?" Kain asked.

"Yeah," Ragna said.

"Then...you don't know anything...?" Kain asked.

"...Yeah..."

Kain practically fell to his knees if Iris hadn't caught him.

"Kain!" she exclaimed.

"Then...how am I supposed to remember who I am...?" Kain asked.

"Can't you ask your friends?" Ragna asked. "I mean, if they're supposed to be your friends, then they should know something about you, right?"

"That won't work," Alicia suddenly said.

"!? What's that supposed to mean?" Kain asked.

"...You should have realized this by now," Alicia said. "Your memory loss is not normal amnesia...if it was, then you should've been able to remember everything by now."

"Then why is this all being connected to Ragna?" Noel asked.

"Simple..." Alicia said. "His memories aren't sealed within him, they're sealed within his Azure."

"What!?" Kain asked. "What does that mean!?"

"All of the memories that you gained so far," Alicia said. "They had to do with the Azure, did they not?"

"!? Now that you mention it..." Kain said.

_The Azure Grimoire...then the Theios Anima Arma...that weapon was made from the Azure..._

"Wait," Hikari asked. "Then shouldn't he have remembered something when he came in contact with Noel or Saya?"

"They didn't use their Azure," Alicia said. "So even if they 'possess' the Azure, as long as they don't show it, they're recognized as just 'regular people'."

"Then if they were to activate their Azure Grimoires..." Iris said.

"He could remember something..." Alicia said. "But there is a danger to that..."

"What do you mean?" Noel asked.

Alicia didn't respond, but only stared at the two red swordsmen.

"Hey, Kain," Alicia said. "Why don't you two just fight?"

"Huh?" Kain asked.

"Why the hell should we?" Ragna asked.

Alicia pointed to the worn out Hakumen lying on the ground, much to Ragna's surprise.

"What the hell!?" Ragna exclaimed. "The masked bitch!? What happened to him!?"

"Simple," Alicia said. "Kain over here used his powers as the Black Beast to vanquish him."

"What!?"

"You should be interested, at least," Alicia said, with a little mischievous giggle.

Ragna looked at Kain with great shock and amazement. Hakumen was hardly the one to lose a fight. The only one who could probably do that is either Rachel Alucard, or one of the other Six Heroes.

_Come to think of it...Saya managed to pummel Terumi until he ran...and she's his sister..._

"...Ragna?" Noel asked.

Ragna said nothing, but took out his sword.

"Huh!?" Kain asked.

"What're you doing!?" Noel asked.

"Interesting," Ragna said. "Kain, was it? All right, let's see if I really do have a link to your memories."

"They're going to fight!?" Hikari asked.

"Whoa whoa," Azrael interrupted. "If anyone's gonna fight him, then it's–!"

"Me!" Kain yelled, taking out his sword too.

"Kain!?" Iris exclaimed. "But you're still hurt!"

"I'm fine," Kain assured Iris. "I'm not gonna miss this opportunity...this is a good way to settle whether Ragna has some key or not."

"Hey, Kain!" Azrael growled. "I'm gonna fight–!"

"Let me do this Azrael!" Kain yelled, managing to shut Azrael up. Impressed by Kain's guts, Azrael grinned a little.

"...Fine..." Azrael said. "But I get the next round!"

Kain fixed his gaze on Ragna. The two lifted their swords.

"Kain..." Iris said worried.

"Ragna..." Noel said worried.

"Now then..." Kidou said. "Let's see how this turns out..."

"And you two shall realize," Alicia said quietly as they made their moves. "Your roles in the fate that we must fight."

* * *

Everyone was teleported back to Sector Seven, where Kokonoe was waiting for them.

"We're back?" Makoto asked.

"Looks like it..." Tager said.

"Welcome back, you idiots," Kokonoe greeted angrily.

"Professor Kokonoe..." Claude said.

"So you're the bastard who talked smack to me," Kokonoe said.

He looked a little uneasy, until Kokonoe eyed Sieg.

"...That puppet is a Nox, isn't it?" Kokonoe asked. "Pretty impressive...and so are that chick's gauntlets, right?"

"...As expected..." Claude said.

"...Looks like a lot happened," Kokonoe said, as she eyed a rather depressed Litchi. "...what happened to Lotte...?"

Litchi looked like she was about to cry.

"...All of you get in here..." Kokonoe said. "You all need some R&R."

They all headed into Sector Seven.

"Miss Litchi..." Bang said. "...I'm terribly sorry..."

"Huh?" Litchi asked. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Despite our efforts..." Bang said. "We couldn't save Ara–Sir Lotte..."

"It's not your fault...Bang..." Litchi said. "I'm fine...really..."

Bang looked worried for Litchi.

"Hey! You two!" Kokonoe yelled. "You two come to my lab! I need to get the seithr shit out of you two!"

Bang and Litchi followed Kokonoe. Carl looked worried at the two followed Kokonoe.

"What's the matter?" Amane asked Carl.

"Huh? No nothing," Carl said. "I was just worried about Miss Litchi..."

"I guess she can't be helped..." Amane said. "Judging from that outburst, that Arakune seemed really important to the lady. And I'm betting he didn't survive against that jester fella'..."

Carl looked a little down.

"...This is somethin' time can only solve..." Amane said. "You can only leave them be..."

"Mr. Amane..." Carl said.

While Amane was comforting Carl, Bullet was looking around Sector Seven.

'_...Can't believe that I would be here...'_ Bullet thought. _'Maybe here, I can find out what happened five years ago...'_

Platinum had a bored expression on her face, one that Mary took notice to.

"What's wrong, Luna?" Mary asked.

But just as she asked that question, Platinum fell asleep.

"Wha-!?" Mary yelled. "What is she, narcoleptic or something!?"

After sighing angrily, Mary carried the sleeping Platinum back into Sector Seven.

* * *

In Kokonoe's lab, Litchi and Bang were getting checked up for seithr poisoning. As she was proceeding with Litchi, she glared at her.

"...So in the end..." Kokonoe said. "You couldn't save him...huh?"

Litchi looked guilty. Kokonoe only sighed as she continued.

"This is why I told you to give up on him," Kokonoe said. "There was no telling how the road would end..."

Litchi still didn't respond to Kokonoe. The pain of losing Arakune was too great for her to speak.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Kokonoe went on. "You betray both us and the NOL, and yet you still didn't save him."

"Miss Kokonoe," Bang interrupted. "I believe that it's best if you were to leave Miss Litchi alone."

"Ah?" Kokonoe asked. "What do you want, you stupid ninja?"

"Miss Litchi has been through enough today," Bang shot back. "She does not need you to belittle her efforts!"

"Bang..." Litchi said. Kokonoe only glared at the two.

"...Bang, was it?" Kokonoe asked. "You wanted to revive Ikaruga?"

"Yes," Bang said with pride. "I believe that with all of our efforts, that Ikaruga will once again resurface in its glory!"

"Heh, good luck with that," Kokonoe retorted. "'Effort' alone ain't gonna bring back anything, and you should know that by now."

"...That I'm aware of..." Bang said.

"You guys already lost once against them," Kokonoe said. "Do you really think that your buddies will try to face them again?"

"As long as we have our spirit," Bang rebutted. "Then we can accomplish anything!"

"...If only the world was that easy..." Kokonoe said as she proceeded to inject Litchi with something. "This outta take care of the seithr in your body."

"Thank you, Professor..." Litchi said.

"Now, let's deal with you, scruffy," Kokonoe said.

"Very well then," Bang said. Litchi left the lab without a word, worrying Bang.

"Aren't you worried, Miss Kokonoe?" Bang asked.

"About what?" Kokonoe asked flatly.

"About Miss Litchi," Bang answered. "From what I heard, Miss Litchi used to work for you."

"So?"

"So aren't you her friend?" Bang asked. "Aren't you worried about her?"

"Look, that bitch turned against us and sided with Terumi," Kokonoe shot back angrily. "And yet, she ended up killing him. For all I care, she can go wallow in her own despair. She's only lucky that I'm letting her stay here."

Kokonoe had a distant look on her face as she blindly stabbed Bang with the needle in the gut.

"Aww! Watch where you stick that thing!" Bang complained. "...Then why do you let her stay here if she has infuriated you so much."

"...I figured I try the 'compassion' shit on her..." Kokonoe said. "...And at least we don't have to deal with another nuisance on their side."

"Miss Kokonoe..." Bang said.

"...You tell her anything I said," Kokonoe threatened. "I'll shove my catnip lollipops up your ass."

"I won't..." Bang said.

"...Also..." Kokonoe said. "...be by her side...she needs the companion."

"You do not have to worry, Miss Kokonoe," Bang said. "I shall be by her side no matter what."

Kokonoe said nothing and injected him with the same serum that she used with Litchi.

"Thank you, Miss Kokonoe," Bang said as he left, leaving Kokonoe by herself.

"...They're all idiots..." Kokonoe said relentless. "I swear...compassion, my ass..."

"Don't you care about them?" a voice asked. "You even continued to tamper with the Boundary to try to save them, didn't you?"

Kokonoe turned to see Platinum at the door.

"...Trinity..." Kokonoe said.

"It has been a while, Kokonoe," Trinity said. "You've grown since the last time I saw you."

* * *

Meanwhile, Bullet was exploring Sector Seven on her own, while avoiding Sector Seven members.

"Now, where can I find some intel here..." she said as she looked around. "Damn, this place is like a maze...but I managed to get into Sector Seven...I'm not gonna let this chance go."

As Bullet looked around, she noticed a door with a restricted sign on it.

"What's this?" Bullet asked. She tried to open the door, but it didn't respond. So, she punched a hole into the door and let herself in. She found herself in a room with a large computer.

"Let's see what we got here," Bullet said as she typed in some numbers in the keyboard. "Knowing Sector Seven, they must keep records on everything that happened here...so let's see what happened five years ago..."

But as Bullet tried to type in the date, she kept finding herself in trouble about how to use the computer. She was raised her whole life fighting. Outside of battle, she knew little to nothing about the outside world. Or any of its advances.

"Ah God!" Bullet yelled in frustration. "Screw this!"

"Hold it!"

She was about to punch a hole into the computer, when the cry stopped her.

"Huh?" Bullet asked. She turned to see Tager behind her, catching her in the act. "Geh! Tager!"

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"N-Nothing..." Bullet said, trying to fool Tager.

"Really..." Tager said sarcastically, obviously not buying it. "What were you really doing?"

"...I wanted to know something..." Bullet said, deciding to come clean.

"What?" Tager asked.

"I want to know about the Nox Nyctores Extraction mission that happened five years ago," Bullet said.

"Five years ago?" Tager asked.

"Sector Seven was the one who assigned the mission to us," Bullet explained. "So I figured you guys would know about what happened to the soldiers that participated in that mission."

"...Were one of the soldiers your friend?" Tager asked.

"...Yeah..." Bullet said. "I'm only protecting a promise that we made..."

'_Five years ago...?' _Tager thought. _'Why does that ring a bell...? And come to think of it...this mercenary does look familiar...'_

After some thought, Tager went to the computer.

"You won't be able to get in without a pass code," Tager said.

"Huh?" Bullet asked. "Why are you helping me?"

"...That incident..." Tager said. "It rings a bell. I don't remember much about it, so this could help me too."

Bullet seemed to rejoice a little as Tager logged on to the computer, then started to search through the files. Although after searching for it, Tager looked a bit surprised.

"What the hell?" Tager said.

"What?" Bullet asked.

"There are no files on the event..." Tager said.

"What!?" Bullet exclaimed.

Tager showed Bullet the screen, where there were no files on the event.

"What the hell!?" Bullet said.

"What's going on...?" Tager asked. "Sector Seven wouldn't have deleted such information...so what...?"

* * *

Meanwhile, while enjoying the view of the seithr orb, Envy was going through a file on a tablet.

"Well...so that's the core of a Nox Nyctores..." Envy said. "...fascinating...never knew humans would use such abominations to create such weaponry...but I guess it was for the best, considering the circumstances of back then...glad I took this while I visited Kain."

He looked at the seithr orb.

"With this information..." Envy said. "I wonder if I could turn the orb into a 'core'...no no, I can't forget the objective at hand. That's the only reason I 'came here'..."

After reading the file, Envy proceeded to erase the file.

"Iron Tager..." Envy said. "You do not need to remember what happened five years ago...no 'human' should have to witness such devastation. And Bullet...you'll never find the truth like that...but I guess I shouldn't intervene with them. I really do not want to screw everything up just yet..."

Envy got up and left the room.

"Keep up the good work, 'Lotte'," Envy said, while laughing mockingly.

* * *

Claude was repairing Sieg in a lab he borrowed. With him, Mary was overseeing the repairs, while Makoto, Carl and Amane was watching in curiosity. Carl, however, didn't seem to like watching it, while Nirvana was keeping him company.

"Don't worry, Sieg," Claude said. "They're just minor wounds. This won't take long."

Sieg only stared at Claude as he repaired his arm. After a few seconds, he finished the repair.

"There, all better!" Claude exclaimed. "Try to move it."

Sieg did as it was told and moved its arm. It moved up and down with no problems.

"It's good?" Claude asked Sieg. "...Okay then...but it looks like your other parts need some tuning up."

Sieg nodded, as Claude proceeded to check up on its large wing-like structures.

"This looks real complicated..." Makoto said rather amazed. "How do you know how to do all these repairs?"

"That's...complicated..." Claude said nervously.

"That is some handy work there," Amane said. "You really know what you're doin'."

"Thanks..." Claude said. "No offense, but why are you still here?"

"I never said that I gave up on you and Carl," Amane said.

"Geh! You're still trying to draft us into your troupe!?" Claude asked.

"Of course!" Amane boomed. "You two are practically jewels! I'm not gonna let this chance go!"

"W-Why don't you try someone else?" Claude asked, trying to get out of his draft. "Like...uh...Bang! How about him!?"

Amane suddenly got angry and irritated.

"Never!" he yelled. "He was so damn scruffy! I never met anyone that scruffy! Have I? No, never!"

"Okay then...?" Claude asked.

"Claude..." Carl said, interrupting the two.

"Huh?" Claude asked.

"How did you learn to repair a puppet like that?"

Claude and Mary looked a bit suspicious.

"...I learned it on the road..." Claude answered.

"By who?"

"...I can't tell you that..."

Carl glared at Claude suspiciously.

"I'm going to make this clear," Claude said flat-out, anticipating what Carl was thinking. "Relius Clover didn't teach me this."

"...Then another question..." Carl asked, relieved that he has no ties with his father, but now suspicious about another issue. "Where did you meet 'Sieg'?"

Claude looked uneasy.

"Yo, Claude doesn't have to–!" Mary yelled.

"Mary!" Claude yelled, shutting her up. "...He deserves to know at least that much..."

Mary looked at Claude nervously, then agreed. She showed them her gauntlets.

"This is the Nox Nyctores," Mary said. "Eterminatore Stella: Supernova. It can charge seithr based on ones movements and change it into energy that can be used to sever anything."

"A Nox Nyctores!?" Makoto exclaimed.

"What about Sieg?" Carl asked.

"...The official name is Bellum Machina: Palladion," Claude said. "But I call him Sieg."

"...And why do you call him Sieg?" Carl asked. "...What's inside of him?"

Claude looked hesitant, but decided to show him the truth. At Claude's command, Sieg opened up his chest and helmet, to reveal a frail and pale boy with the dark blue eyes that glow through the helmet's opening for his eyes, and long brown hair. His body was wearing a black jumpsuit except for his chest, which housed a generator core. The boy stared at the shocked group with his soulless eyes.

"...This," Claude said. "Is my 'sin'..."

"'Sin'?" Carl asked. "What happened to him?"

"...I 'killed' him," Claude said hesitantly. "And with the help of my friend, he was able to be revived as the Palladion."

"How could you!?" Carl asked angrily. "To turn a human being into a machine!?"

"That was the only way to save him!" Claude yelled angrily and his voice breaking. From his face, tears were about to drop from his eyes. "Do you think I wanted this...?"

"Claude..." Carl said, realizing the pain that Claude endured. "...I'm sorry..."

The revelation left tension in the room, where no one could speak.

"S-So..." Makoto said, finally breaking the tension. "Those two are Nox Nyctores' too? Another one that I don't know about..."

"You saw another one?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, a girl named Hikari had one," Makoto explained. "What was it again? Um...Mucro..."

"You met Hikari!?" Mary asked. "Where is she!?"

"She went with our friends, Kain and Iris to look for Ragna the Bloodedge," Makoto said.

"...What?" Mary asked.

"Hikari went with our friends, Kain and Iris to look for Ragna the Bloodedge," Makoto repeated herself

Mary didn't respond, but a dangerous aura of anger started to emit from her.

"She's with Kain!?" Mary asked. "Oh that bitch! We promised no one would try a move on him in this situation! And now Kain's with some other chick!? Those two are gonna pay!"

"What the!?" Makoto exclaimed.

"C-Calm down Mary," Claude said, trying to soothe Mary's apparent jealousy and rage, but Mary only drove her fist into Claude's face out of anger.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Mary yelled back.

They looked surprised, but laughed, reconciling as Claude was getting beaten up by his sister.

"Why're you guys laughing!?" Claude cried. "Someone save me!"

* * *

After a while after Izayoi left, Jin's group finally headed out on their way.

"So now what?" Burai asked.

"We go after Tsubaki," Jin said. "Simple as that."

"That's probably the best option at this point..." Itsuki agreed.

"Alright then," Jubei said. "Let's get goin' then."

As they made their way, Jin seemed to eye Itsuki's sword.

"...Itsuki, was it..." Jin said. "Is that sword a Nox Nyctores?"

Itsuki and Burai gave him a sharp and rather shocked glance.

"...So you noticed..." Itsuki said.

"How is that possible?" Jin asked. "There are only supposed to be only 10 Nox Nyctores in existence, and I have never heard of one like that."

Itsuki looked a little hesitant, but showed Jin his sword of moonlight.

"This is the Nox Nyctores," Itsuki explained. "Gladius Luna: Tsukiusagi."

"What are its abilities?" Jin asked.

Itsuki seemed a bit hesitant, until Burai decided to explain instead.

"It's ability," Burai said. "Is that it grows stronger under the full moon."

"That's it?" Jin asked.

"There's one more trick," Burai said. "If its owner uses it for selfless acts, the blade will grant it limitless power. But the acts must not be for greed. The owner has to do these acts from the bottom of their heart. Somethin' that Itsuki apparently lost while coming here."

"...So it gains true strength through selfless virtue..." Jin said. "...Indeed, that is something that its owner seems to lack."

Itsuki couldn't argue with that.

"I was so wrapped up in my quest for power," Itsuki said. "That I forgot about my surroundings...I betrayed my friends, and I even let Envy get the upper hand."

"In other words," Burai said. "You were selfish and stopped care about the people around you."

Itsuki looked down to the ground ashamed.

"Pathetic..." Jin scolded. "...But I'm not one to be saying that..."

"What do you mean?" Itsuki asked.

"I was like you..." Jin said. "...I was so focused on only my journey to look for Ragna the Bloodedge, that I lost sight of the others around me...I ended up letting Tsubaki side with Terumi because of my own insight and foolishness."

"Jin..." Burai said.

"...Itsuki," Jin said. "You must not lose sight of what's truly important. Do not let foolish ambitions such as power or greed cloud your decisions, or you'll end up 'alone'."

The two looked a bit surprised, as Jin moved up next to Jubei.

"Wow..." Burai said. "Honestly, I'd expect him to be the last person to give someone–hell, anyone advice like that."

"I know..." Itsuki said.

"...Never knew you would be the one ta' give anyone advice like that," Jubei said. "What got ya' to do that?"

Jin looked a bit puzzled, but looked up to the creeping twilight.

"...I just saw a little of me in Itsuki," Jin said. "He just reminds me of myself not too long ago..."

As they went on ahead, a large explosion went off.

"What the!?" Jin exclaimed.

"The hell was that!?" Burai yelled.

Jubei looked ahead, and saw some faint smoke traveling from not too far up ahead.

"There!" Jubei yelled.

The four rushed to see what caused the explosion.

* * *

As the four headed up to the area, they were just about to reach it.

"Don't let your guard down!" Itsuki exclaimed.

As they prepared for anything that could come in their way as they entered the area, a sudden shockwave of dark energy suddenly shot at them.

"Whoa!" Burai yelled.

He managed to erase the blow, but what they saw up ahead was more intense and crucial than a mere energy wave.

"What the!?" Burai yelled.

"Is that...!?" Jin exclaimed.

"Strike Inferno!"

"Hell's Fang!"

The group found themselves experiencing an intense fight between Kain and Ragna, the two swordsman of the Azure. Kain struck at Ragna with his sword at Ragna, who only stopped it by ramming his hand engulfed in darkness at it. They backed up, where Ragna drove his sword into the ground. Kain got back and charged energy into his flaming sword.

"Dead Spike!"

"Grave Sword!"

Ragna released a shockwave of dark energy shaping the head of the Black Beast, while Kain shot an energy sword. The two projectiles collided, creating the explosion that the four saw. The two then proceeded to run into each other and clash blades.

"What's going on!?" Itsuki yelled.

"They finally met...!" Jin said.

"Major!" a voice called.

They turned to see Noel and Hikari in a corner.

"What's going on!?" Jin demanded.

"Kain and Ragna are fighting..." Hikari explained.

"I can tell!" Jin yelled. "I asking why they are fighting!?"

"Because this is the key to unlocking Kain's memories."

They turned to see a purple haired maiden and a white-haired swordsman with three large swords spectating the match.

"Alicia!? Kidou!?" Itsuki yelled.

"Oh! Itsuki! Burai!" Kidou exclaimed. "It's been a while!"

As they headed up there, they noticed that Iris and Azrael were beaten up pretty badly, while Hakumen was resting on the floor.

"What the hell!?" Burai yelled. "That's the Hakumen!"

"Hakumen!?" Itsuki yelled. "As in the Six Heroes!? What happened to him!?"

"Kain managed to beat Hakumen," Noel explained.

"What!?" they yelled.

They shifted their attention back to the fight. Kain and Ragna were trying their best to land a single hit; they read each other's move one after another so swiftly and precisely, that it left them nearly impossible for landing a hit to become a reality.

'_What the hell is this kid?' _Ragna thought. _'Being Saya's brother, I figured that he be freakishly strong, but this is ridiculous! I can't even land a hit on him! Plus he looks like me! What the hell's going on!?''_

'_He's strong!' _Kain thought. _'I figured as much, coming from the Grim Reaper, but this is ridiculous! Forget beating him, I can't even touch him! Plus I'm starting to get what everyone was getting at about the looks. There's no way he's unrelated!''_

The two slammed their blades against the other, trying to push each other away.

"You're pretty tough..." Ragna strained while trying to push Kain back. "I figured you were good, but what the hell's up with this strength?"

"I don't know..." Kain strained while trying to push Ragna back. "I don't really know anything about myself...probably because I'm the Black Beast..."

"Is that so!?" Ragna yelled as he mustered all of his strength and managed to push Kain back, then followed up with a straight jab in the gut.

"Guagh...!" Kain gagged as he backed up.

Ragna used the opportunity and grabbed Kain, smashed his face into his knee, and flung him across the field, making Kain crash into the blockade, making it crumble. Ragna made a mad dash at him, but out of the smoke, Kain thrusted his rifle at Ragna, then shot him in the gut.

"Gah...!" Ragna gagged.

As Ragna flew into the air, Kain grabbed his leg and slammed him into the ground, where Kain shot him when he was down, making Ragna bounce off the ground. As Kain tried to make his next move, Ragna glared at Kain, then drop kicked Kain in the head, stopping him in his tracks. Ragna thrusted his edge at Kain's head, but Kain managed to block it with his sword at the last-minute.

"What a battle...!" Burai exclaimed. "They're practically equal!"

"If they teamed up," Noel said. "They would be unstoppable!"

Jin and Itsuki were amazed at the battle, as Ragna and Kain were trying to push each other back once more.

"He's become this strong!?" Jin yelled. "To think he could keep up, no equal Brother!?"

'_Ragna didn't show this much strength against me!'_ Itsuki thought. _'Was he holding back against me!?'_

After moments from getting trampled by the weight of Ragna's sword, Kain spun around while avoiding the sword's edge, while tripping Ragna in the process. Kain then grabbed Ragna's leg and flung him into the sky. Ragna got back his balance, and brandished his sword at Kain, while Kain grabbed his sword with both hands.

"Belial Edge!"

"Demonic Rising!"

Ragna dived in for a stabbing strike, while Kain intercepted it with a rising slash. They past each other, but ended up slicing each other.

"Guagh!" Ragna yelled.

"Kuh!" Kain yelled.

They glared back at each other and ended up trading each other's actions.

"Sins Downfall!"

"Inferno Divider!"

Kain brandished his sword and dove for a stabbing strike, while Ragna leapt up in a spiraling motion while uppercutting him with his sword, hilt first. The two clashed, but Ragna wasn't done. He managed to uppercut Kain while turning in a fast motion, while re-holstering his sword. He followed up with a heel drop kick engulfed in darkness.

"Gaha!" Kain yelped as he slammed into the ground. Before Kain could get back up, Ragna landed in front of him, picked him up, and smashed his fist into his gut. As Kain flinched, Ragna drove his sword at him, then flung him up into the air. Kain snapped out of it, then aimed his rifle at Ragna.

"BLOODY RAIN!"

Kain unleashed a tempest of red energy bullets upon Ragna. Surprised, Ragna shielded himself with his sword and dodged them.

"HELLBOUND!"

Kain lit his foot on fire and unleashed it on Ragna.

"Blood Scythe!"

Ragna flew up and sliced the dark monster-shaped attack with his scythe, leading the two halves to crash besides him. As they landed, Kain charged energy into his blade, while Ragna brandished his sword.

"DESTRUDO BLADE!"

"CARNAGE SCISSOR!"

They dashed at each other and strongly slammed their super-charged blades at each other, causing another surge of energy to explode in the area, almost overwhelming everyone. The two were blown away by their own attacks, crashing to the ground.

"Tch! At this rate," Ragna muttered. "We won't get anywhere!"

"Kuh! There's only one option..." Kain said. "I need to use the Azure! But..."

He remembered what Alicia told him.

'_He could remember something...'_ Alicia's warning rang in his head. _'But there is a danger to that...'_

Kain looked hesitant to use the Azure. But it could help him remember his memories. But he doesn't know what the 'danger' could be.

_Well, there's only one way to find out._

Kain lifted his left arm up.

"He's gonna use the Azure!" Burai exclaimed.

"What!?" Ragna yelled. "Shit!"

In an act to defend himself, Ragna lifted his right arm up.

"Ragna's gonna use his Azure too!?" Noel exclaimed.

"...Alicia..." Kidou said.

"Yes..." she responded. "...This is why I warned them..."

"BLOOD OVERLOAD!"

"BLOOD KAIN IDEA!"

The two warriors activated their Azure Grimoires, but what they were expecting to be a power boost from their grimoires, only lead to the grimoires suddenly reacting violently.

"What the!?" they yelled.

The grimoires suddenly covered the two with dark energy as they struggled to break free from the corruption.

"Kain!" Hikari and Burai cried.

"Ragna!" Noel cried.

"Brother!" Jin cried.

"Guagh!" Kain yelled.

"Gah!" Ragna yelled.

The black energy almost covered them in black energy, where static noise suddenly rang in his head as he blacked out.

_Really!? At a time like this!?_

* * *

_A vision started to play in Kain's head. A boy was trying to activate the gauntlet that was on his left arm, but had little to no luck using it._

"_Gah! Not again!" the boy yelled._

"_No no!" a man's voice yelled. "Not like that!"_

_There was a man with the boy._

_It's that guy again..._

"_But Dad!" the boy complained. "This is too hard! And why doesn't Saya and Akira have to do this!?"_

_Saya and...Akira? Who the hell's that?_

"_I'll teach those two once they get older," the man said. "Now, focus!"_

"_I am!" the boy yelled back as he tried to activate it again, but failed once more._

"_Not again!" the boy yelled. "Gah! I just can't do it!"_

"_Look calm down," the man said. "Look, the Azure is a part of you. You just need to understand it and accept it as a part of you."_

"_I am!" the boy argued._

"_Then focus!" the man said. "Just calm down and focus. It's a part of you. You can now recognize Ars Magus easily, which will help you recognize the Azure. You just have to understand and recognize the Azure inside of you."_

_After letting out a huge sigh, the boy breathed in and closed his eyes. After a while, the pauldron on his gauntlet started to open. Soon, black energy started to leak out._

"_Is this...?" the boy asked. "Dad! I did it!"_

"_There you go," the man said, satisfied. "Now remember that sensation. It'll help you recognize the Azure easier from now on."_

"_Okay, Dad," the boy said excited about his new power._

"_Brother!" some voices called out._

_The boy looked to see two kids run up to him. One of them was a girl with long blonde hair and silver highlights, with a red right eye and a green left eye. The other was a boy with short blonde hair with long bangs with silver highlights._

_That must be Saya, and that's Akira?_

"_Yo, Saya, Akira," the boy said. "Guess what? Your big brother can use the Azure!"_

"_All right! Way to go!" Saya exclaimed as she clung on to him._

"_Congratulations, Brother," Akira said._

"_Now remember," the man said. "Don't abuse the Azure. It may be your power, but you gotta use it responsibly. You can't go crazy with it."_

"_I understand," the boy said as he smiled._

_The man nodded in approval._

"_Hey, you guys!" a woman's voice called out. "Lunch's ready!"_

"_Okay!" the kids called back._

_They all ran up to the woman, where the man came up to her._

"_So, how did training go?" the woman asked the boy._

"_It was hard," the boy said. "But I can use the Azure now!"_

"_My! Good job!" the woman exclaimed. "That's our boy!"_

"_Right?" the man asked as he kissed his wife on the cheek. "Now come on, let's eat dinner."_

_The boy looked up at his parents._

_Wait...these two...!?_

_The vision started to fade._

* * *

"Ugh...what happened...?" Kain asked himself.

He looked around. As he tried to rub his head, he realized that his arm wasn't human.

"What the!?" he yelled.

His left arm that he tried to rub his head with was the claw, as he found himself in his Black Beast armor.

"What the hell!?" Beast Kain yelled. "Why am I in my Black Beast mode!?"

"Kain!" Iris cried.

He turned to see everyone in a rather grim and scared mood.

"What's going on!?" Kain asked.

"Grrrrrrr..." a voice growled.

Beast Kain turned to the growl.

"What!?" Beast Kain yelled.

Where Ragna stood, was now him completely corrupted by the Azure. The Azure coursed throughout his body. His right arm was a large claw of darkness. His mouth only showed a large set of horrific teeth and his eyes only glowed an eerie red. He didn't even seem human.

"Ragna...?" Noel asked scared.

"Don't tell me..." Jin said. "Brother's became the Black Beast!?"

"The Black Beast!?" they yelled.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Beast Kain yelled.

"Kain! Look out!" Itsuki yelled.

"Wha–!?"

* * *

Ragna suddenly appeared right in front of Beast Kain and slammed his sword at Beast Kain. Beast Kain barely blocked the sword, but Ragna overpowered him and pushed him into the blockade.

"Gah!" Beast Kain yelped.

As Beast Kain tried to get up, Ragna smashed his foot onto his left arm, and started to stab Beast Kain in the chest.

"Guoagh!?" he yelped.

Beast Kain tried to shoot Ragna in the face, but Ragna only grabbed his arm and flung him into the air.

"Kuh!" Beast Kain muttered as he floated back into the air.

But Ragna suddenly jumped up to Beats Kain, grabbed his head with his right arm, and slammed him into the ground, creating a crater.

_What the hell...!? He's even stronger as the Black Beast than me!?_

The others were only stuck watching Beast Kain getting pummeled by Ragna and his newfound powers.

"What's happened to him!?" Hikari asked Alicia.

"Simple," Alicia said. "Kain's Azure is a special case. It tried to 'recognize' Ragna's Azure to fill as the 'heart', but Ragna's Azure 'denied' that, so the two Azures had no other option but to purge all the stored Ars Magus and seithr that they used to proceed with their actions. And such, the overloaded Azures led to them becoming their forms as the Black Beasts."

"Then why is Ragna stronger!?" Burai yelled. "They were equals just a few minutes ago!"

"While Kain has control of his own Black Beast," Alicia explained. "He still doesn't know how to use his powers to the fullest. But in Ragna's case, he's only going berserk and exerting all of his powers."

"Kain..." Iris said worried.

As Beats Kain tried to make a hit on Ragna, Ragna only dodged all of his attacks and instead landed his own hits.

"Rrrraaaugh!" Ragna growled as he unleashed a Dead Spike twice his size on Beast Kain.

He followed with a strike engulfed in darkness that sent Beast Kain flying, then ran up and slammed a dark energy wave shaped like a monster's head from his sword to Beast Kain. As Beast Kain got back up, Ragna picked him up and smashed his foot into his gut, and tried to rip his arm off. Beast Kain stopped Ragna by stabbing him in the gut, making him let Beast Kain go, but Ragna instantly regenerated his wound.

"Oh great," Beast Kain said. "He has the regeneration bit down right..."

Ragna suddenly brandished his sword and dashed at Beast Kain, slammed it on him, then shot him with a huge dark spike.

"Gaha!" Beast Kain yelled.

As Beats Kain landed, Ragna jumped at him, but Beast Kain managed to grab him with his wings. He formed a large beast head with his arms, while seven other heads formed from his back, aiming at Ragna.

"DRAGOON SLAUGHTER!"

The heads launched at Ragna, sending him into the air, but Ragna got back into the air, then brandished his sword at Beast Kain and struck down like a bullet. Beast Kain bounced off the ground, where Ragna slammed Beast Kain into the ground with his dark sword, then unleashed a barrage of heavy strikes until he eventually slammed his sword across Beast Kain's face, sending him into the crowd.

"Kain!" they cried.

As they helped Kain back up, Noel, Jin and Jubei faced the berserk Ragna.

"Ragna! Get a hold of yer'self!" Jubei yelled.

"Brother!" Jin cried.

"Grrrrrr…" Ragna moaned. He could no longer recognize his friends and family.

"Ragna..." Noel said.

"Kuh...at this rate..." Beast Kain said, struggling to get back up. "He'll kill us all..."

Beast Kain tried to reenter the battle, but he fell over.

"Kain!" Hikari cried.

"Kuh!" Beast Kain muttered. "Even if I have the Azure healing me...his wounds still hurt like a bitch..."

Noel looked at Beast Kain, then looked at Ragna.

"Ragna..." Noel said, then got up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jin asked her.

"...I'm gonna save him..." Noel said.

"...You're crazy..." Jin mocked. "Even Kain in his Black Beast form can't handle him...what makes you think you can do anything?"

Noel walked up to Ragna.

"Grrr..." he growled.

"Ragna..." Noel said. "I know you're in there...you need to fight it!"

"Grrrrr..." he growled.

Noel looked a bit sad, but she knew what must be done.

"...Rachel..." Noel said.

Behind her, out of a portal where petals flew out, Rachel appeared carrying her umbrella.

"Honestly...you have such bad luck at times..." Rachel said. She glared at Ragna. "And you. You have become rather feral the last time we met. I knew I called you a 'lowly animal', but I never expect you to become like this."

"Rrrrraugh..." Ragna growled angrily.

"Rachel..." Noel said.

"...I know..." Rachel said. "Do use it properly."

With her command, Noel closed her eyes, where a light surrounded her. When it cleared, Noel's outfit was completely different. She was wearing a white jumpsuit with thigh-high knee socks, lights, and wore an armored headplate with long horns like Hakumen's. Her hair gained a fray and when she opened her eyes, they were blue.

"What!?" Jin yelled.

"Is that...Noel?" Iris asked.

"...Kusanagi...eh?" Kidou said, looking at Saya.

"That's...the original..." Saya said.

A large sword appeared behind her, where a light infused her with the sword. Once it was gone, Noel had armor similar to Saya's, but there were noticeable differences, while her shoulder armor had the pauldrons, while on her chest was a small tie. Her headgear remained the same, as Noel floated along with eight disembodied blades that floated besides her.

"I'll be using this power..." Noel said to Rachel.

"Make good use of it Noel," Rachel said. "No...Mu-12..."

As Rachel disappeared, Mu faced Ragna.

"Grrrr..." Ragna growled.

"Ragna..." Mu said. "Just wait there...I'll save you!"

* * *

Envy suddenly looked up into the sky.

"This feeling..." Envy said. "...That priestess...she managed to pull it off..."

Envy looked down to the ground. Then, he started to chuckle, which led to maniacal laughter.

"Hahahaha! That fool!" Envy boomed. "They don't realize that they're only speeding up the process!"

Envy was laughing so hard, he had to sit on something.

"His outburst was unexpected, but what luck!" Envy yelled. "Keep this up you fools! As long as you keep this up and keep making Kain stronger, then the Paradigm will be that closer to becoming perfect! Ahahahahahahahahaha!"

Envy continued to laugh, but a sudden pain struck Envy in the chest.

"Guh!"

He put his hand on his chest, until the pain stopped.

"...Looks like I'm running out of time too..." Envy said. "If 'I' die, then my plans are all ruined, after all..."

He let out a sigh.

"Well I managed to gather enough data to create it..." Envy said. "I can proceed with my plans."

Envy looked up to the sky one more time. He saw the moon and tried to grab it with is arm, but alas, it was too far. Envy shuddered a little.

"...So 'I'..." Envy said. "Still hate the moon..."

* * *

Somewhere else, Izayoi looked up in to the sky.

"What is feeling?" she asked herself. "It feels so...dark..."

She looked into the darkening sky.

"Noel..." Izayoi said. "Jin...am I making the right decision?"

She tried to think about it, but her head hurt.

"Kuh! I...I..." Izayoi said.

After her pain healed, she looked up to the building she was in front of. The NOL headquarters.

"...I must find the truth..." she said. She entered the building.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN: **And the two protagonists begin their fight, only to lead it into a bloodbath against Black Beasts. Kokonoe is starting to get a lesson on compassion while Six Hero Trinity makes her appearance counceling Kokonoe, Jin's group joins Kain's group, and Noel becomes Mu to save Ragna. Meanwhile, Envy seems to be racing against time, and Izayoi goes to the NOL to know the truth. And finally, Akira makes an appearance (in a flashback, not in the present). Where the hell did he run off to?

Hoped you enjoyed this chapter and review the action. Until next time!


	16. Chapter 16: Bonds of People

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 16: Bonds of People**

* * *

**AN:** Chapter 16 is up. This may well be the most important (and possibly the most entertaining) chapter so far. You'll see why.

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_Great..._

_I only get some of my memories when we finally meet Ragna_

_And now he's going batshit crazy because of me!_

_But wow...Noel..._

_I didn't expect her to have this kind of power..._

_...Let's just hope that's gonna save him..._

* * *

"Mew..." Tao yawned.

She rubbed her eyes and looked up to the sky. The moon was shining brightly.

"Mew? It's only night?" she asked. "Then I guess Tao can go back to sleep."

"What, you finally awake?" Azrael asked. "...can't believe you were sleeping through all of this."

Tao turned to the man startled.

"Meow!? Who are you, muscle man?" Tao asked. "Hey by the way, have you seen Good Guy?"

"Hmph," he responded. "Is Good Guy Ragna the Bloodedge?"

"Meow? Good Guy is Good Guy!" Tao responded.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said. "If it's him you want, then you're gonna have to wait."

"Meow?"

Suddenly, a laser shot out of nowhere and almost shot down Tao.

"Meow!?" she cried.

She looked to see Mu fending off against the demonic Ragna.

"Mew!?" Tao yelled. "Is that Lacking Lady!? And G...Good Guy...?"

"Suitable prey comes one after another..." Azrael said. "Once this is over, I'll gladly relish in the feeding ground...But for now..."

* * *

Mu's blades slashed at Demon Ragna in the arm, but Ragna blew them away with his sword. As the swords returned to Mu, Demon Ragna charged at Mu. Mu summoned some projectiles into the air that started to shoot at Ragna. He just blocked their lasers with his arm as he charged at Mu and swung his sword widely. Mu jumped into the air, dodging it and slammed her blades on Ragna, punishing him into the ground. Mu quickly retreated, as Demon Ragna got back up, glaring at Mu.

"Ragna!" Mu cried desperately. "Please! Get a hold of yourself!"

"Grrrrr..." Demon Ragna only moaned. "Rrrraaaaugh!"

Demon Ragna suddenly brandished his sword and dashed at Mu.

"Arrows of Heaven!"

Mu shot up a speeding projectile into the air, which he dashed into. He flinched from the arrow, giving Mu an opening.

"Sword of Decimation!"

She swung her blades overhead at Black Ragna, sending the beast away.

"Kuh..." Mu said. "It looks like I'm gonna have to beat him to get him to stop...but..."

Demon Ragna suddenly got back and flung his sword upwards. Mu managed to shield herself with a barrier that the swords created, but she was sent back by the force.

'_Can I beat Ragna...?'_ Mu thought to herself. _'...No it's not 'can' I beat him. I have to beat him! It's the only way to save him!'_

Demon Ragna managed to break her barrier by doing a roundhouse kick.

"Oh no!" Mu exclaimed.

"Raaaaugh!"

As Demon Ragna was about to strike her, Beast Kain suddenly rammed him, sending him away from Mu.

"Kain!?" Mu yelled.

"This is too big for you to handle alone!" Beast Kain yelled. "Sorry, but I'm barging in!"

"Are your wounds alright?" Mu asked.

"...It'll have to do..." Beast Kain said as he was limping a little. The two faced Ragna, who got back up.

"Damn it...can't he stay down for once!?" Beast Kain said.

"Huh...reminds me of the time we had to stop you..." Mu said. "Only this time..."

Demon Ragna growled as he approached the two.

"This one is tougher..." Mu said.

"How did you guys stop me before?" Beast Kain asked.

"Well..." Mu said. "Iris psyched you out and hugged you. Then you just melted on your own."

Beast Kain would have looked flustered if his helmet didn't cover most of his face.

"Then why don't you try the stunt on him," Beast Kain suggested. "I mean you have a crush on him, don't you?"

Mu suddenly became red in her blue attire.

"Wha-I-I can't do that!" Mu argued embarrassed.

"Why!?" Beast Kain rebutted. "If Iris can do it, I'm pretty sure you can do it too!"

"I-I'm not ready f-for that...!" Mu stammered.

As the two were bickering, Demon Ragna suddenly charged at them again, and slammed down with a large head of a beast attacking them. The two barely dodged it and got back.

"Okay, this is not the time to be discussing this!" Beast Kain said.

"Then how do we stop him!?" Mu asked.

Demon Ragna drove his sword into the ground, where large pillars of darkness suddenly shot up from the ground like geysers. Beast Kain and Mu had to maneuver through all of them, but ran into Ragna's Dead Spike that he launched from behind the pillars.

"Gah!"

"Kyaa!"

The two flew back, where Demon Ragna suddenly charged at Mu with a claw engulfed in darkness, then grabbed her with his right claw and the energy burst in it.

"Guaagh!" Mu cried as she fell.

Beast Kain charged at Demon Ragna while Mu was down.

"PREDATOR STRIDE!"

He charged at Demon Ragna and swung his blade widely, but Ragna grabbed it with his claw, and flung him into the air once more.

"Gah! Damn it!" Beast Kain yelled.

As Demon Ragna was about to go after him, his feet suddenly froze.

"BLACKHAWK STINGER!"

As Ragna realized this, Azrael came charging at Demon Ragna with a strong punch. Demon Ragna was sent flying, but got back on his feet, where Jin and Azrael were ready to fight him.

"Wha!? Jin!? Azrael!?" Beast Kain yelled.

"Heh! I'm done waiting!" Azrael told Beast Kain. "I'm not gonna let you have all the fun!"

"Major! Please step back!" Mu yelled.

"Do you really think I'm going to listen to you now?" Jin shot back to Mu coldly, and then faced Brother. "I know I'm going to be the one to kill Brother...just didn't expect the scenario to be like this. But..."

Jin took out his Yukianesa.

"Even if you become the Black Beast," Jin said. "I will kill you, Brother!"

Demon Ragna glared at the two, then charged at them. Azrael managed to take the hit, but the power from Demon Ragna's tackle managed to push him a little.

"Musou..."

Jin charged at him while riding an icicle that made Ragna freeze, then slashed out at him, sending him back.

"Toshōgeki!"

As Ragna crashed into the ground, Azrael came from the air and sat on him.

"Sentinel Dump!"

Ragna pushed Azrael off, just to run into Mu's laser barrage. Ragna shielded himself with his sword, but Beast Kain came diving at him.

"Shuttle Pain!"

Beast Kain rammed at Ragna, making him lose his guard and getting into Mu's laser storm.

The others not in battle, were anxious to get in.

"I can't take this anymore!" Hikari yelled.

As she was about to barge in, Kidou stopped her.

"Kidou!" Hikari yelled.

"Do you really think that you can stop him!?" Kidou yelled, making Hikari shut up.

"But..!" Hikari whined.

Kidou said nothing, but looked at Iris and Saya.

"You two, get in there," Kidou said.

They rejoiced as they rushed to Beast Kain's side, shocking Hikari.

"But why!?" Hikari yelled.

"Because they're using weapons more suited for fighting against him," Kidou said.

Ragna shot another Dead Spike at Beast Kain, but Iris shielded it with her Aegis, the Saya unleashed her storm of lasers at Ragna.

"!? You two!" Beast Kain yelled.

They smiled at him, and then shifted their glares at Ragna.

"Rrrrrr..." he growled.

"6 against 1?" Azrael asked. "I don't think this is any fun...but I guess I'll have to shut up about it."

"Azrael..." Iris said.

"Don't let your guard down," Azrael said to her. "This one's gonna be tough, at least..."

"Ragna..." Beast Kain said.

* * *

As Kokonoe sat back down in front of her computer, Trinity looked around the room.

"Such impressive technology..." Trinity said.

"Yeah, sure whatever," Kokonoe said. "Now...why are you really here?"

"I only wish to speak to you," Trinity responded. "It has been quite some time since the last time we met. But I'm fairly sure that you can't remember..."

"No I remember," Kokonoe said. "A little vague at best...but I remember you visiting Mother..."

Trinity sighed.

"Kokonoe..." she said. "Why is it that you don't wish to open up to others?"

"Well," Kokonoe retorted. "Given the crappy childhood I was given ever since Mother was killed and the Old Man was who knows where, there are many reasons..."

"Do you mean, Jubei?" Trinity asked.

Kokonoe didn't respond.

"Look, I understand why you would be mad," Trinity said. "But he was doing his best to raise you, even after Terumi killed your mother, and loved you."

Kokonoe still didn't respond, making Trinity sigh.

"...Your path of vengeance will only make you alone..." Trinity warned.

"I know..." Kokonoe finally said.

"Then why do you insist to take the path?" Trinity asked.

"Because I won't let that bastard get away with it!" Kokonoe yelled. "He's going to die one way or another!"

Kokonoe glared at Trinity.

"...Kokonoe..." Trinity said. "I understand why you feel this way...he killed your mother and aunt, and they were my best friends. But I just do not believe that this is the way to avenge them. What would your mother think if she saw you like this?"

"...I already know there's no turning back..." Kokonoe said. "If so, then I'll just head down the path...no matter where it will lead..."

Trinity stared at Kokonoe with some sorrow in her eyes.

"...I won't stop what you decided on..." Trinity said. "But I do want you to be more compassionate."

"You too!?" Kokonoe asked annoyed. "Goddamn it! Why is everyone telling me this!?"

"I think whoever told you this," Trinity said. "Was out of good will. I'm saying this so that you don't become alone."

"What?"

"Whatever you do is up to you," Trinity explained. "All I want is for you to have friends that you can rely on, whatever happens. So that you don't become alone."

Kokonoe was rather surprised by what Trinity said. She never truly took that to mind. The only person she could truly rely on was Tager, but what if something were to happen to him? Then she would be alone...

'_You're already good-looking as it is.' _Kain's voice rang in Kokonoe's head._ 'If you had a good personality, I'm pretty sure you would be a bit popular with the guys.'_

'_What we're trying to say...' _Claude voice rang_. '...you must learn to be more compassionate...you will never know how much one means to you until they are gone.'_

The two voices rang in Kokonoe's head. One was trying to help her shorten the distance around her. The other was trying to teach her the importance of friendship.

"...Like I don't know already..." Kokonoe said. "...I'm done here..."

Trinity smiled, seeing that Kokonoe understood what she was trying to point out.

"My my," a voice interrupted. "Haven't the recent events changed you..."

They turned to see a girl with long blonde twin tails with black ribbons with a black gothic lolita dress that befitted the night. She carried a black umbrella as a pudgy red bat was following her.

"...Rachel..." Kokonoe said. "What do you want?"

"I would like that everyone is to gather in one spot," Rachel said. "Fate has finally called for an audience."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Sector Seven, Tager and Bullet entered the room, where Mary seemed to be in a rather bad mood.

"? What's wrong with Mary?" Tager asked.

"It's...best that you don't ask..." Makoto said.

Tager looked confused, until Bullet nudged at him and pointed to a pulverized mass that represented Claude, one that Sieg was trying to straighten out.

"Oh..." Tager said.

"So where have you two been?" Amane asked.

"We were looking for something," Bullet said.

"Hmmm..." Amane said interested. "What was it?"

"Hey, Makoto," Tager asked. "You were once part of the NOL Intelligence Department, yes?"

"Yeah," Makoto responded. "Why? You need something?"

"I want to know if you have any information about a 'Nox Nyctores Extraction' mission that occurred in Sector Seven 5 years ago."

Makoto suddenly lost her usual cheery expression.

"...Why?" Makoto asked.

"Well, after looking through the database in Sector Seven," Tager said. "We couldn't find it, so it must have been either deleted or taken to another database. Since you used to work for the Intelligence Department, I figured you should know something."

"What makes you think that?" Makoto asked.

"...We already know that the NOL had something to do about this..." Tager said.

"Come on," Bullet said. "Please..."

Makoto didn't say anything, but sighed.

"Okay then," Makoto said. "It's because we're friends. But I really don't like remembering _that_..."

Makoto sat down.

"Well...five years ago..." Makoto explained. "The NOL sent a squadron to retrieve the Nox Nyctores Nirvana from Sector Seven. The reason was unknown, for the obvious reasons. Until we gained some new info from Colonel Relius Clover..."

"He worked here?" Carl asked, shocked.

"Yeah, to research on the creation of the Nox Nyctores," Makoto said. "Apparently, during the last procedures of the Nox Nyctores, a Black Beast emerged from the cauldron and started to devour the soldiers there..."

"What!?" they yelled.

"A Black Beast!?" Tager yelled. "Why was that there!?"

"You don't know?" Makoto asked, surprised. "You were almost mangled by it during the operation."

"What!?" Tager yelled. "I don't recall anything like that!"

"You must have lost your memory when that happened..." a voice said.

They all turned to see Litchi, distraught from the events.

"Litchi..." Tager said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," Litchi said, gathering all of her strength to endure the pain. "Thanks, Tager..."

"So...what did you mean...?" Mary asked.

"I read that file once, before it went missing..." Litchi said. "...You managed to fend off the NOL forces until they managed to reach the lowest sectors where the cauldron was finishing the final smelting."

"Then what happened?" Bullet asked.

"...Relius Clover unleashed the Black Beast from the cauldron manipulating Kokonoe..." Litchi said. "In order to complete his Nox Nyctores..."

"...Fluctus Redactum: Ignis..." Carl said.

"She knew about this all along!?" Makoto yelled in anger.

"Listen!" Litchi said. "She only kept this from you guys because she didn't want you to know about this!"

"Why!?" Mary yelled. "This is some important shit!"

"Do you know the term," Amane suddenly asked, defending Litchi. "'Ignorance is bliss'?"

"!?"

"Do you think by just knowing that," Amane asked. "That you would feel any better?"

"...Y-You have a point..." Mary said.

"I'm pretty sure that Kokonoe only kept this secret to protect y'all," Amane said. "If I learned of somethin' like that, then I wouldn't be able to sleep for a while."

"She also protected you Tager," Litchi said.

"What?" Tager asked. "How?"

"She used her magic to seal the Black Beast into an orb," Litchi said.

"Magic?" Makoto asked. "Don't you mean Ars Magus?"

"Not Ars Magus," Litchi explained. "But pure magic. She is the daughter of Magister Nine after all."

"Say what!?" Bullet yelled. "You mean 'Nine' as in one of the Six Heroes!?"

Litchi nodded.

"Relius tried to obtain the orb," Litchi explained. "But Kokonoe and Nirvana managed to stop him."

"Sis?" Carl asked.

"After that..." Litchi said. "Nirvana and Ignis were both sent to the NOL."

They were shocked at the information on the events.

"...W-Were there any survivors?" Bullet asked.

"Until the Professor did anything..." Litchi said. "Everyone was eaten up...the only survivor from our side was Tager..."

Bullet looked shocked, then slammed her fist into a wall.

"Bullet..." Makoto said.

"Damn it..." Bullet said. "Then there's no lead...I'm back to square one...Damn it!"

Makoto looked worried, which Bullet took notice to.

"...I'm fine..." Bullet said, trying to smile. "Don't worry..."

"Uh...okay..." Makoto said. "But if there's anything you wanna talk about, I'll be there!"

"Thanks," Bullet said.

"...To think something like that happened..." Tager said. "...What were the higher-ups thinking, allowing someone like that to work here...?"

Litchi tried to continue, but she suddenly started to collapse.

"Litchi!" Tager exclaimed.

But as she fell, Bang caught her from behind.

"Bang..." Litchi said weakly.

"Are you okay? Miss Litchi?" Bang asked.

"Yes...thank you..." Litchi said.

"Mr. Bang..." Carl said.

"If there is anything you need," Bang said. "Please, do not hesitate to ask. I shall gladly lend a hand for you, Miss Litchi."

Litchi looked a little surprised, but smiled sweetly in relief.

"Thank you..." Litchi said.

Everyone gathered around to help Litchi up. Their warm smiles helped heal her wounded heart.

"Everyone..." Litchi said.

"You have indeed been through hardships that no one can easily understand," Bang said. "But that does not mean that you have to bear the pain by yourself, Miss Litchi. I-I mean, we are always here for you."

"Bang..."

They started to fluster a little, until the door opened, making them startled and get away from each other. They turned to see Rachel, Kokonoe and Trinity.

"What a rather relaxed group of fools," Rachel said. "Even in a time like this..."

"Huh?" Mary asked.

"Let's go," Kokonoe said. "Apparently we're going to a show."

They all gathered, where Rachel teleported all of them back to her home.

* * *

"SCUD PUNISHMENT!"

Azrael delivered a short blow to Demon Ragna's gut, making him flinch. A strange mark appeared on him as he flinched. At that moment, Jin rushed from behind.

"ARROWS OF ICE!"

Jin launched a large ice arrow at Demon Ragna, freezing him in an instant. As Demon Ragna froze, Jin and Azrael jumped into the air and slammed him into the ground.

"Gah!?" Demon Ragna yelped.

As he crashed to the ground, lasers from Mu's bits and Saya's orbs assaulted Demon Ragna, who managed to roll out of the way, Iris and Beast Kain struck at him.

"Aegis Striker!"

"PREDATOR STRIDE!"

They knock against Demon Ragna, but he managed to hold his ground against them.

"Oh, come on!" Beast Kain strained.

"As expected of the Black Beast..." Iris said.

As they were holding his ground, Beast Kain aimed his arm at Demon Ragna, while Iris charged light into her shield.

"Greed Buster!"

"LUSTER BLAZER!"

They shot a stream of dark and light energy at Demon Ragna, sending him into the air.

"Grrr..." Demon Ragna muttered.

But before he could realize it, Beast Kain drove his arm into the ground, while Mu started to charge energy and direct it to the bits that she summoned.

"DEAD FLARE ABYSS!"

"BLESSED MIRROR!"

Beast Kain unleashed several pillars of dark blazes that struck Demon Ragna from below, while Mu unleashed the energy at the bits, who shot intense lasers at Demon Ragna. He shielded himself from the blasts, and relentlessly landed on the ground. But as he landed, Azrael drove at him with a strong punch.

"BLACKHAWK STINGER!"

Azrael unleashed it upon Ragna, where Jin brandished his sword, while Saya summoned more blue orbs.

"TEMPEST OF DIVINE WRATH!"

"ARCTIC DAGGER!"

Jin shot a shockwave, while the orbs under Saya's command shot myriads of lasers at Demon Ragna. Demon Ragna grabbed Azrael's knuckle and threw him away. Then he only slashed down all the lasers, while he slammed his sword against Jin's shockwave and erased it.

"Damn it!" Beast Kain yelled. "Even after we nailed him with all of this firepower!"

Mu looked concerned about Demon Ragna.

"Ragna..." Mu said.

'_Damn it!' _Ragna's voice rang in her head. _'Stop it! Me!'_

"Ragna!?" Mu asked. But no one could hear it, except for Beast Kain.

"What was that!?" Beast Kain. "Was that Ragna!?"

'_I...can't control it!' _the voice yelled in her head. _'Why!? Damn it...why!? I couldn't change my destiny!? Is that it!? ...Get away from me...! Damn it! Get away from me!'_

"Ragna..." Mu said sadly.

"Noel?" Iris asked. "No, wait, Mu?"

"I could hear him..." Mu said. "I could hear Ragna's voice...he's in pain! We need to save him!"

'_Huh? Hear Ragna's voice?' _Iris thought. _'Wait...is this like when I heard Kain's voice when he went berserk?_

"He's doubting himself too..." Beast Kain said. "Just like me..."

"Grrrraaaugh!" Demon Ragna boomed. He rushed at Mu, where Beast Kain defended her. He charged energy from his Azure and struck his sword up at Beast Kain, stunning him.

"Crap!" Jin yelled. "That's...!"

"Black...Onslaught...!" Mu said.

Demon Ragna transformed his sword into a large scythe and slashed Beast Kain repeatedly, then drained his energy as if he was draining his soul, and finally went for a final stab that sent Beast Kain bulleting.

"Gaaaaugh!" Beast Kain yelled.

* * *

"Kain!" they cried.

He crashed along the ground, until he made a complete stop. His armor disintegrated and returned to his arm, returning Beast Kain into his human state. Demon Ragna jumped in front of him, where his scythe returned into his sword state. He aimed the sword at Kain's head.

"Stop!" Mu yelled.

She rushed at Demon Ragna, where Demon Ragna turned and tried to strike her down.

"WISDOM OF THE DIVINES!"

She bound Demon Ragna in light, as she aimed her eight swords at him and unleashed them at once.

"GAAAAH!" Demon Ragna screamed as he fell to the ground. She floated back to the ground.

"Get a hold of yourself, Ragna!" Mu yelled. "You can beat this!"

Demon Ragna looked up at Mu's face.

"...N...No...el...?" he murmured. His eyes were calmer.

"Ragna...!" Mu said happily.

"I..." Ragna tried to murmur as he reached out his hand. Mu happily tried to accept it, but Ragna's eyes suddenly widened.

"GAAAUGH!" he screamed as he slapped away Mu's hand. He felt a surge of pain in his head and backed up.

"Ragna!" Mu cried.

"Guh...! R...Run..." he murmured. "GAAAAAUGH!"

A surge of energy burst from Demon Ragna, sending everyone away from him.

"Kh!" Mu muttered. As she fell, Iris helped her back.

"Iris," Mu said.

Demon Ragna let out a ghastly wail, as he rampaged around mindlessly.

"He's losing it," Alicia said. "If the Azure continues like this, then Ragna will become completely consumed by it."

"Then why don't you help!?" Hikari yelled. She and the others were being held back by Kidou's orders.

"This is their fight..." Alicia said. "They must face Ragna the Bloodedge. It is what fate intended."

She looked at Kain and Mu.

"Kidou!" Burai yelled.

"Now now, calm yer' ass down," Kidou responded. "We need to let Kain handle it himself."

As the two looked worried, Demon Ragna approached Mu and Iris while holding up his sword.

"So you're Ragna the Bloodedge..." Iris said. "I always wanted to meet you once."

He stopped, and looked at Iris. She had a rather angry and disappointed expression as she scowled at Ragna.

"I wanted to see what kind of person you are," Iris said. "An SS rank criminal who is practically feared by the NOL, and possesses the Azure Grimoire...but..."

She helped Mu get back on her feet.

"I'm disappointed!" Iris yelled. "You can't possibly be weak enough that you'd let your own power take over!?"

Demon Ragna looked stunned.

"If you truly are the 'Grim Reaper' that everyone fears," Iris yelled. "Then show some backbone! Don't let your power control you! You control it!"

He growled angrily at Iris, but his head pain made it too hard for him to concentrate.

"Grrr...I...I..." demon Ragna muttered.

"She's right..." a voice weakly said from behind the girls.

They looked to see Kain struggling to get back up. He had his sword for balance.

"Kain!" they exclaimed.

"Can't say...I blame you though..." Kain said. "I had the same problem when I went berserk..."

As Kain got forward, Demon Ragna stepped back.

"But I had friends to helped me regain sanity..." Kain said. "Because I remembered one important thing..."

He held up his left arm.

"That this was **my** power..." Kain said with pride. "It doesn't matter what others think, I will use it to protect those important to me!"

Demon Ragna was stunned, but he started to agonize again.

'_Gah! But...I can't control it...!' _Ragna's voice yelled in their heads. _'If I can't control this power...then what point is there for me to be here!? I'm a damn monster!'_

"Fight it, damn it!" Kain yelled. "Aren't you 'human'!?"

Demon Ragna looked up, despite the pain he was in.

"It doesn't matter what others think," Kain said. "As long as you believe that you're human, then you are! You have a 'soul', don't you!? Then believe in it, you idiot!"

"GRAAAAAUGH!" Demon Ragna screamed.

"Noel..." Kain said. "Even if I said all of that, you're the only one who can truly free him."

"Huh? But how?" Mu asked.

"He'll listen to you..." Kain responded. "Just make him feel safe...that's how Iris helped me..."

"But how are we going to get close to him?"

"I'll make a path."

Kain stared straight at Demon Ragna.

'_Kh...Get away...!' _Ragna's voice moaned. _'Get away damn it!'_

Demon Ragna let out a vile wail in pain as he assaulted Kain.

"I won't run away," Kain said. "It doesn't matter what happens, I won't run back down from what I know is right!"

"Well said," a dark voice interrupted. "...Boy of the Azure..."

* * *

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Hakumen appeared in front of Kain.

"!? Hakumen!?" Kain yelled.

"Then show me," Hakumen said. "Your true potential, 'human'!"

As Demon Ragna assaulted Hakumen, he created a large red barrier, while holding his sword horizontally.

"**EMPTY SKY TRUE FORM...**"

Demon Ragna hit the barrier, activating Hakumen's counter.

"**JUDGMENT OF THE SWORD!**"

Hakumen swung his sword at Demon Ragna violently and repeatedly. The power was so great, it was as if black paint strokes were covering the view, eventually, finishing Demon Ragna off. As Demon Ragna fell, Hakumen sheathed his sword.

"Whoa..." Kain said.

"So that's his true power..." Iris said.

But Demon Ragna somehow managed to get back up, despite that onslaught.

"How!?" Iris yelled.

Hakumen quickly dashed over from behind, then grabbed his arms.

"Now!" Hakumen yelled. "While I have him trapped! Set this fool free!"

Kain, surprised but ready, walked up to Demon Ragna.

"It was because I had friends with me," Kain said. "I able to overcome this madness..."

He looked at Demon Ragna.

"Don't you have friends like that?" he asked.

Demon Ragna looked surprised as Kain brandished his sword.

"...Just endure it a little..."

His gaze became a bright red as he lifted it up. Black flames started to overflow from it.

"**SOUL OUTRAGE!**"

Hakumen got out-of-the-way at the last second, as Kain stabbed his sword straight at Demon Ragna, stunning him.

"**BLOOD ZAGAM!"**

Kain transformed his sword into a giant scythe, similar to Demon Ragna's and furiously and quickly slashed him over and over and jabbed at him with the tip.

"**ZERO FAFNIR!"**

From the scythe's tip, shot out a tremendously intense laser, overwhelming Demon Ragan, until Kain forcibly lifted it up, the blade shifting to block the laser and take its energy to form an even larger energy blade that he had to carry with both hands, poised at Ragna. While that was happening, the blade itself seemed to drain Demon Ragna of his energy.

"**SOUL DESTROY...**"

After storing enough energy from his laser and from Demon Ragna, Kain unleashed the blade on him.

"**SABER!**"

The collision caused the entire district to collapse, where everyone managed to get out before it collapsed.

"Whoa..." Tao said.

"What power..." Jin said.

"Wait...where's Kain?" Hikari asked.

They looked around. They realized that not only Kain was gone, but Iris, Saya, and Mu was gone.

"You don't think!?" she yelled.

They looked at the rubble of the blockaded district.

* * *

Demon Ragna fell hundreds of feet to the ground.

'_Damn it...I can't move...'' _Demon Ragna thought. _'Is this...the end...?'_

"Ragna!" Mu cried.

Demon Ragna managed to move his head to see Mu flying towards him to catch him.

"N...Noel..." he managed to murmur as he tried to reach out to her.

"Ragna!"

Mu caught him from falling, embracing him tightly. She was practically crying as she caught him.

"You're okay..." she said happily. "I'm so glad...!"

"Noel..." Demon Ragna said as she embraced him deeper.

"You don't have to suffer anymore..." Mu said, comforting him. "I'll always be with you..."

Demon Ragna looked surprised, but closed his eyes in relief. The darkness that surrounded him faded away, turning him back to normal. As they floated down, Kain and Iris were still falling.

"Kain!" Iris cried.

"Damn it!" Kain yelled, having no energy left in him.

The two fell down to the ground, until something stopped them from falling.

"What?" they asked.

They looked up to see that Saya caught them at the last second.

"...Thanks..." Kain said.

"It's no biggie..." Saya said. "But can you please let go...? You two together are too heavy..."

The two let go of Saya and landed safely on the ground. They looked to see that Ragna and Mu were all right.

"Ragna! Noel!" Kain exclaimed, going to them.

"...So I guess that's how they clicked?" Saya asked. "Or was this to seal the deal?"

"What?" Iris asked.

"Oh, nothing," Saya said as they approached them.

"You guys alright?" Kain asked.

"Yes, thank you for your help," Mu said.

"Noel..." Ragna said weakly.

They looked at Ragna.

"...Sorry, I guess..." Ragna said. "For...getting you involved in this crap..."

Mu smiled sweetly at him, caressing his head gently.

"It's okay..." she simply said, oddly making Ragna relieved.

"No, I'm sorry," Kain said, bowing his head, catching everyone by surprise. "It was my fault because I activated the Azure...leading to this mess..."

"It's okay," Mu said. "It wasn't your fault."

Kain raised his head as the two girl came to him.

"Hey..." Ragna said, getting up. "Kain, was it...? I'm not sure if this could help, but I think I got a lead..."

"What!?" Kain asked.

"While the Azure was going berserk..." Ragna explained. "I saw something..."

"What was it?" Iris asked.

Ragna managed to get his balance back, as he started to retell the vision he had.

* * *

_What the hell...? What is this!? Where am I!?_

_I'm not dead...right?_

_Wait, if I was dead, wouldn't that make me a g-_

_G-g-g-ggg-g-ghost!?_

_Oh __**HELL**__ no! No way! Nuh uh! No way in a million years! There's no way that could happen!_

_I won't allow it! I won't admit it!_

_He started to see something as he continued his pointless rant._

_What the hell?_

_He saw a young boy carrying a sword walking around a town_

_Is that Kain?_

"_Wait up, Brother!" a voice yelled._

_The boy turned to see a younger girl with long blonde hair with silver highlights._

"_Saya..." the boy said. "I told you not to come."_

"_But I wanna help you look for Akira!" Saya pouted. "He's my brother too, you know!"_

_Akira? He has another sibling?_

"_No! You go back home," the boy said. "I'll be fine by myself!"_

"_But...!" Saya pouted._

"_But nothing!" Kain said. "You can't make Mom and Dad worry!"_

_She pouted, but Kain rubbed her head._

"_I'll be fine," Kain said. "Now come on, go home."_

"_...Just be careful..." Saya said. "If you were gone too...then I..."_

"_What's going on?" a voice asked._

_They turned to see a boy younger than Kain, but older than Saya. He had short blonde hair with silver highlights on the ends, and sported red eyes._

"_Akira!" they exclaimed._

"_? What's wrong?" Akira asked._

"_Where've you been!?" Kain yelled. "You had us worried sick!"_

"_Huh?"_

"_That's right!" Saya yelled. "You were gone again, but this time you didn't show up for dinner...so Mom and Dad and Brother and I were so worried..."_

"_Oh...s-sorry..." Akira said apologetically. _

"_Akira..." Kain said. "What've you been doing?"_

"_Eh?" Akira asked._

"_You've been gone lately for the past several days..." Kain said. "And you haven't been 'yourself' lately..."_

"_I'm sorry..." Akira said._

"_No, you don't need to be sorry," Kain responded. "Just...you can talk to us if there's anything on your mind..."_

"_I know..." Akira said. "It's not like I can talk to anyone else without being looked down upon or feared."_

_Kain's worried look suddenly became angry._

"_Don't say things like that," Kain said._

"_But everyone's scared of us..." Akira said pessimistically. "Because we're the 'Children of the Azure'...people think we're monsters...so yeah, I can only feel safe with Brother and the family, because no one will ever like us and–"_

"_Akira!" Kain yelled angrily, managing to shut him up._

"_S-Sorry..." Akira said._

_Kain sighed._

"_Look," Kain said. "I know times are tough for us...but come on...I'm sure that everything will get better...we just need to get everyone to accept us..."_

"_How?" Akira asked._

"_I don't know..." Kain said. "We'll just have to work our best to prove to everyone that we're not monsters."_

"_You really do admire Kidou," Saya giggled. "He really had an effect on you ever since he remained your friend. Unlike the rest of those assholes..."_

_Kain only sighed at his sister's incurable case of profanity._

"_Why are you so foul-mouthed?" Kain asked._

"_But they deserve it!" Saya protested._

"_Oh never mind," Kain said. "Let's go home..."_

"_Yes, Brother!" Saya and Akira exclaimed._

_The three headed back to their home._

* * *

That ended Ragna's story, leaving Kain stunned.

"Why do you have one of my memories?" Kain asked.

"How the hell should I know?" Ragna asked. "The vision just popped into my head, then I can't remember anything."

"Then what...?" Kain asked.

"My my," Alicia said. "Isn't this an interesting turn of events."

They looked to see everyone else were there.

"When the hell did you guys get here!?" Kain yelled.

"Oh please," Alicia said. "Teleporting them here is a piece of cake."

"Kain!" Hikari cried as she rushed over to him. "Are you alright!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kain said.

As Hikari was tending to his wounds, Saya angrily pushed her away.

"Hey! Get your hands off Brother!" Saya yelled angrily.

"What!?" Hikari yelled. "I was just tending to his wounds!"

"He doesn't need you to tend to his wounds!" Saya rebutted. "Besides! Why the hell are you doing this!? You didn't even do shit in the battle!"

"That's because Kidou stopped us!" Hikari yelled. "And at any rate, if I didn't do anything in the battle, then the least I should do is this!"

"He doesn't need your help!" Saya yelled.

"Uh, Hikari? Saya?" Iris asked uneasily. "Come on...let's get along here..."

"You stay out of this!" Saya and Hikari yelled, shutting her up.

"Would you two idiots calm down?" Alicia asked angrily. "At any rate, I'm sure that you two can't tend to his wounds. You should leave this one to Kidou."

"Alicia!" Saya yelled. "Don't you wanna to help him out!?"

Alicia tried to say something, but she stopped, blushing a little.

"J-Just let Kidou heal him!" Alicia yelled. "It doesn't matter how he's healed!"

"So...that means we can try anything?" Saya asked. Her eyes had a rather malevolent look.

"Not 'anything'..." Alicia said,, blushing at what Saya meant.

"Being popular sure is tough," Burai teased. "Right? Kain?"

"Huh?" he asked, not understanding him.

"Kain..." Iris said. "Now what?"

"Huh?" Kain asked.

"We met Ragna the Bloodedge," Iris said. "But you didn't remember everything. So now what do we do?"

Kain just realized that. He met Ragna the Bloodedge, but he didn't remember who he was. He has no other leads. He didn't think that far ahead.

"Fer' now," Kidou said. "Let's fix ya' up. Along with the rest of ya'."

Every who was wounded from the fight gathered around Kidou, where Kidou took out his two swords and drove them into the ground. He made a large Ars circle that started to heal everyone.

"Whoa..." Kain said.

"Amazing..." Noel said.

"As expected of Kidou," Alicia said.

Once everyone was healed, Kidou put away his two swords.

"Na ha ha ha ha!" Kidou boomed. "That felt better, didn't it?"

"Thanks, Kidou, was it?" Kain said. "...What is that, anyway?"

Kain pointed to Kidou's three swords.

"These?" Kidou asked. "You'll find out eventually."

Kain stared at Kidou suspiciously as he snickered.

"Good Guy!" Tao exclaimed as she jumped onto Ragna.

"Gah!" Ragna yelled. "What the hell, Tao!?"

"Yay! Good Guy's Good Guy again!" Tao cheered. "Tao was so worried about you!"

"Huh? Oh right..." Ragna said. "Well...sorry, I guess..."

"You really had us in for a scare Ragna," Jubei said.

"Master!?" Ragna exclaimed. "Wait...if you're here...then..."

"Brother!" Jin cried.

Ragna looked a bit nauseous as he saw Jin.

"Goddamn it...I really don't have the time for–" Ragna muttered.

But what Ragna was expecting to be another episode, was Jin worrying about him,

"Are you okay?!" Jin exclaimed. "You were beaten up pretty badly..."

Ragna was stunned at his brother's non-insane attitude.

"You alright?" Ragna asked uneasily.

Jin only glared at Mu.

"You bitch..." Jin muttered. "I knew you should stay away from Brother..."

Normally, Noel would be scared bottomless right about now. But as Mu, she has the power and confidence to defend herself, so she only returned Jin's glare back at him.

"It isn't her fault, Jin," Ragna said. "If you still have a problem, then I'll be happy to beat some shit into your damn head."

Kain barged in.

"Okay there," he mediated. "Let's calm down here."

They glared at Kain, who only stood his ground, then calmed down.

"Now then," Alicia said. "Let us depart."

"Hold on," Ragna said. "Where the hell are you taking us?"

"...The time has come," Alicia said. "For everyone involved in this fate to gather..."

Alicia snapped her fingers, as a large black hole appeared under the entire group, and everyone dropped in.

* * *

Rachel's castle. As Valkenhayn was tending to the garden, he noticed the wind was blowing rather ominously.

"...The time has come..." Valkenhayn said.

Valkenhayn prepared some tea, as a large black hole, where everyone from the blockaded district dropped in. At the same time, a distortion occurred, where everyone at Sector Seven appeared.

"What the?" Kain asked. "Where is this place?"

"A castle?" Iris asked.

"I have returned, Madam Rachel," Alicia said.

"I figured you were involved in this, Rabbit," Ragna growled.

"Watch your tongue, boy," Valkenhayn threatened.

"Oh, Ragna," Rachel said. "It has been a while."

Ragna glared at Rachel.

"...You're involved with Noel regaining her powers," Ragna said. "Aren't you?"

"Oh my," Rachel said. "I didn't think you had the intelligence to figure that out. Bravo."

Ragna just muttered something under his breath.

"Noel. How did the new power go?" Rachel asked.

"It went well, thank you, Rachel," Mu said as she took off her headgear. Her eyes returned from their blue luster to their emerald green.

"Noel! Mr. Kisaragi!" Makoto exclaimed.

Makoto, Carl and Nirvana went over to Jin and Noel.

"Makoto! Carl!" Noel exclaimed.

"So? Did anything awesome happen?" Makoto asked.

"You don't know the half of it," Noel said. She turned to Ragna, which surprised Makoto and Carl.

"Yo, Ragna," Makoto said. "You managed to meet up with everyone?"

"No shit," Ragna said, then noticed Carl. "Oh, great...it's you..."

"It has been a while, Ragna the Bloodedge," Carl said, glaring at him.

"Heh! I don't need you trying to kill me for the Azure," Ragna said. "So, let's call a truce. Since everyone here can probably kill us."

"AAAH! RAGNA THE BLOODEDGE!" Bang yelled. "AND JIN KISARAGI!?"

"Oh come on..." Ragna muttered. "And it looks like he's pissed off at both of us."

"It can't be helped, Brother," Jin said rather creepily.

"Mater Jubei!" Luna cried as she embraced the cat.

"Well, Luna," Jubei said. "It's been a while."

"Great," Ragna muttered. "Just how many peopel do I know are involved in this?"

"Plenty," Tager said from behind.

"What the!?" Ragna yelled. "Great...even Sector Seven's involved in this."

Noel and Makoto looked around, but notice that someone was missing.

"Hey? Mr. Kisaragi?" Makoto asked. "Where's Tsubaki?"

Jubei looked a bit uneasy, as Jin only glared at them.

"...Tsubaki resided with Terumi..." Jin said. "...As Izayoi..."

"What!?" they yelled.

"Izayoi...!?" Ragna asked. "The Murakumo Prototype!?"

Hakumen suddenly grabbed Jin by the collar.

"You bastard!" Hakumen yelled, rare for even him. "How could you let her fall into Terumi's hands!?"

"Do you think I let her!?" Jin yelled back.

"Yo, Haku, cool it!" Jubei said.

"Hakumen! Calm down!" Valkenhayn exclaimed.

The two veterans were trying to calm Hakumen down. Eventually, Hakumen let go of Jin.

"Tsubaki..." Noel said sadly.

Tensions began to rise in their section.

* * *

"What happened?" Kain asked.

"It looks like Major Yayoi," Iris explained. "Became an enemy again under the enemy's brainwashing."

"What!?" Kain and Hikari yelled.

"You've gotta kidding me..." Kain said. "Damn it!"

Hikari looked set back, until Itsuki comforted her.

"You okay? Hikari?" Itsuki asked.

"! Brother!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Say what?" Kain asked. "He's your brother?"

Hikari nodded.

Burai looked over to the other side, and saw Bang interrogating Ragna and Jin, while Litchi was trying to calm him down.

"Geh!" Burai muttered nervously, and tried to hide from them.

"What's the matter? Burai?" Kain asked.

"Uh...it's nothin'," Burai responded.

"Okay then..." Kain said.

As he looked towards Sector Seven's side, he suddenly saw Mary shooting at him like a bullet.

"Eh?" he asked.

He suddenly blocked Mary's fist with his blade barely.

"What the heeeeelllll!?" Kain asked.

"You asshole!" Mary yelled. "What the hell're you doing hitting on another chick when we were so damn worried about you!?"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa!" Kain yelled. "Who the hell are you!?"

"Nice try!" Mary yelled, completely lost in her anger. "But you ain't gonna get away from your well-deserved beatdown! You damn playboy!"

"Mary! Calm down!" Claude yelled as he pulled Mary away from a confused Kain.

"Seriously! Who the hell are you!?" Kain yelled. "And who the hell's the playboy!?"

'_Obviously you, you dense idiot...'_ everyone thought.

Mary glared at Iris.

"Uh...can I help you...?" Iris asked nervously.

"And you are?" Mary asked.

"Uh...Iris Experanto..." Iris said.

Mary continued to glare at her.

"Can I...help you?" Iris asked as she looked around her.

"...You do have an impressive figure..." Mary said, making Iris hide herself in embarrassment. Then Mary eyed her breast, which was larger than Mary's, enraging her. She pointed her fist at Kain.

"What the!?" Kain yelled.

"IS IT BECAUSE YOU LIKE CHICKS WITH BIG RACKS!?" she screamed, making Kain do a spit-take.

"Wha-!?" Kain yelled, flustering, until he felt a large hand grabbing his head. He turned to see an angry Alicia, grabbing him with a hand made of shadow.

"Kain..." Alicia said in a rather scary tone. "Is that true?"

"Okay, calm down here!" Kain said, until Saya aimed a blue orb at him.

"Oh, Brother," she said sweetly yet insanely. "You're only allowed to think of naughty thoughts that are about me. Looks like someone needs some punishment."

"And just what the hell are you talking about!?" Kain yelled.

"Calm down, Mary!" Hikari yelled. "You too, Alicia, Saya!"

"SHUT UP COW!" Mary yelled, shocking Hikari.

"You little bitch..." Itsuki muttered, unleashing his sword.

"Okay! Let's calm down here everyone!" Burai said, trying to appease the chaos.

"Shut up! Stupid ninja!" Itsuki yelled.

"Oh that's it!" Burai snapped, joining in on the chaos.

"Everyone calm down!" Claude yelled, but it was futile. Out of the chaos, Kain flew into a wall and forgotten, as the catastrophe grew so out of control, that it didn't even focus on him anymore.

"Kain!" Iris cried, rushing over to him.

Over on the other side, it seemed that their tensions reached into a feud too, and both sides were now causing complete mayhem. Kidou and Amane were only watching the chaos with Rachel at a table, drinking some tea, while Bullet was leaving herself out of it. Azrael looked like he was about to lose it.

"Mmm...this is some splendid tea, Miss Rachel," Kidou said.

"Indeed," Amane said. "Mighty fine brew."

"So it looks like you two have some good taste despite your crude outfit..." Rachel said as a compliment.

"What the hell's going on?" Kain asked, completely confused.

As the chaos rose, Rachel was about to stop it all, but Kidou stopped her and pointed to Iris. She suddenly lifted her shield up.

"LUSTER BLAZER..."

She shot a tremendous laser of light into the wall, catching everyone's attention.

"I-Iris...?" Kain asked from behind her.

"You guys will calm down..." Iris said in a rather enraged and frightening tone. "Right?"

While she did smile a little, her eyes had a look that screamed "I will frickin' murder you if you don't shut up", frightening even Jubei and making everyone shut up. Everyone at the table looked impressed, while Kain looked scared from behind.

"Uh..." Kain murmured.

Iris turned to him in her usual happy expression.

"Are you alright, Kain?" Iris asked happily.

"Y-Yeah..." Kain said timidly.

* * *

As everyone calmed down from Iris' death glare, Kain walked up to Alicia.

"So, why did you bring all of us here?" Kain asked.

"Simple..." Alicia said. "The time for gathering has come."

"Huh?"

"Envy will make his move now..." Alicia said. "And we need to be ready."

"So what do you plan to do?" Kain asked.

"For now," Alicia said, grabbing Kain's sword. "Since that overloading the Azure didn't work, we must forcibly rip the memories sealed in there out."

"Wait, you knew that might happened and made us go berserk!?" Kain asked.

"I didn't do anything," Alicia said. "You chose to use the Azure despite my warnings. And it only worked partially. And since we can't have Ragna go berserk just to break the seal."

Alicia summoned a black hand to grab the Blood Scythe Telos, then proceeded to stab Kain's left arm with it, piercing through the gauntlet.

"We'll just have to rip the memories out of you," Alicia said.

"Gaaaah!" Kain yelled.

"Kain!" they cried.

As Kain tried to get the sword out, static noise suddenly rang like wildfire in his head.

_What the hell!?_

Short visions started to pop up out of nowhere in his head.

_Are these...my memories...!?_

The visions continued to pop up at great speed, each one showed a specific part of his life.

_I...I...!_

* * *

Elsewhere, in the midst of darkness, Envy looked up to the sky near his campfire.

"...that witch..." Envy said. "She actually did it..."

Envy snickered a little.

"Heh! Fool..." he said. "Just how desperate have you become..."

* * *

After several seconds of excruciating pain, the static completely overwhelmed him, and as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. Kain was breathing heavily.

"Kain...?" Iris asked.

Ragna and Noel went up to him. Kain got back up from his pain, and took the sword out of his gauntlet, where it regenerated.

"Well isn't that one dandy trick," Kain said. "But I guess it is impressive, coming from Sector Seven."

"Kain?" Iris asked. "Do you...?"

"Yeah...I remember everything..." Kain said.

They all rejoiced at Kain's recovery.

"My name's..." Kain said. "Kain...Kain B. Vermilliom...wait a minute..."

He slowly turned to Ragna and Noel.

"Kain...B...Ver...million?" Kain asked. "...Oh don't tell me..."

"Yes, Kain Bloodedge Vermillion," Alicia said. "Since you remember, you should now realize it. You are the son of Ragna the Bloodedge and Noel Vermillion. From 20 years in the future."

"...Eh?" Ragna and Noel asked

Their eyes widened after asking that. There was a strong and commanding silence in the room. The silence did not last long however, as Jin, after hearing that, seconds later, fainted.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** And the truth is out! Kain was Ragna's and Noel's son from the future (albeit the story made it pretty damn obvious). How he got there, however, may not be so obvious. Man was this chapter hard to write. Especially when I had to describe Hakumen's Astral Heat and how to fit everyone in the chaos at Rachel's. But I managed, and I hope this chapter pleased you readers. And furthermore, Kain's memory search arc is over! Now we enter the climax arc, where everything starts to come together, and Kidou and Envy will actually fight!

And since the story revealed Kain's identity, those of you who have waited to rant on them ever since Chapter 5 can go nuts! Throw caution to the wind, why don't you! I'll post who's who next chapter.

Until next time!


	17. Chapter 17: Reestablish

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 17: Reestablish**

* * *

**AN:** Chapter 17 is here! There's no battling in this chapter, but in return, a lot of explanations to any original concept will be revealed.

And here are the identities for the OCs as promised:

Kain B Vermillion, Akira B Vermillion, Saya B Vermillion: Ragna and Noel's children: Okay, these were too obvious. They all have such long names.

Itsuki Kisaragi and Hikari Kisaragi: Jin and Tsubaki's children: I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Claude Clover and Mary Clover: Carl and Makoto's children: Same cas ehere, only the term 'twins' is used lightly.

Burai Shishigami: Bang and Litchi's son: In this case however, the apple falls very far away from the tree.

Siegfried Mercury: Kokonoe's son: You thought he was Claude's and Mary's sibling, didn't you? Too bad, he belongs to Kokonoe! I felt bad for not giving her any love.

Alicia Alucard: Rachel's **foster** daughter: I just couldn't imagine her hooking up with anyone besides Ragna. I'll leave Alicia's actual parentage to your imagination.

Kidou Mutsuki: Kagura Mutsuki's son: The white hair led you off, right? So who's mommy? I'll leave that to your imagination too.

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

* * *

_Ehhhhhhh?_

_Wai- Wha- Ehhhhhhhh?_

_I'm from the future!? Seriously!?_

_Wait, that's not the huge part._

_I'm Ragna and Noel's son!? What the hell!?_

_Well, that would explain a lot actually, but seriously!?_

_...By the way, who fainted?_

* * *

The silence still went on as Itsuki and Hikari helped up Jin, who had fainted from hearing the truth.

"Wha-" Kain finally said.

"EHHHHHHHH!?" everyone yelled.

"Wait a damn minute!" Kain yelled. "_I'm_ their kid from the future!?"

"Obviously," Alicia said.

"Wh-w-w-wh-wha-wh-wh-w-hwa-hwwh-wwa!?" Noel was completely losing it as she became completely red.

"What the hell!?" Ragna yelled. "How the hell is that possible!?"

"It's very possible," Alicia said. "I mean just look at him."

"Huh?" Kain asked.

"The spiky hair, the green eyes, the Azure," Alicia said. "It couldn't be any more obvious no matter how you spell it out."

"That could mean anything!" Kain argued.

"You were able to eat Noel's cooking," Alicia said.

That shut Kain up.

"You do have a point..." Kain said.

"Are you saying that only my family can eat my cooking!?" Noel exclaimed.

"I'm not even sure if your parents would eat it," Alicia shot back.

Noel looked shocked and depressed, while Ragna comforted her.

"If he started using truck jokes and gets a pedophile running gag," Alicia said. "Then it would be perfect."

Kain just realized something, and then angrily glared at his 'friends'.

"Wait, you guys knew about this!?" Kain yelled.

"Y-yes..." Hikari said nervously.

"Then why didn't you tell me!?"

"It was just..." Hikari tried to answer. "We didn't know how to tell you, since you were getting along with Miss Noel...and plus your memories were sealed in your Azure."

"It would've been awkward if we just suddenly told you," Burai said. "That she was your mom..."

"So it makes that much of a difference if you blurt it out in front of a damn crowd!?" Kain yelled. "Hell, Alicia already did that for us!"

Kain just realized something else.

"Wait," Kain said. "You're all their..."

They nodded.

"My god..."

"Na ha ha ha ha ha!" Kidou laughed. "So Kain, do you remember everything?"

"Yeah," Kain said. "Although it would've been nice if we weren't in this situation..."

"Yay!" Saya exclaimed as she clung on Kain. "Brother's back!"

"Ah, yeah whatever," Kain said indifferently as he grabbed her head and pulled her off.

Behind him, however, Mary was still trying to get her revenge.

"We're still not done yet!" Mary yelled as she assaulted Kain.

Kain, however, without even looking, grabbed Mary's fist from behind and slammed her to the ground, surprising the past group.

"Wha-?" Mary asked.

"You really think that will work?" Kain asked.

Mary just stared at him in awe as he helped her up.

"At least your tail acted as a cushion," Kain said. "Or else that would've hurt. You alright?"

"Y-Yeah..." Mary said while blushing a little.

"...What the hell?" Makoto asked.

"Is it just me? Or is the mood a bit, strange...?" Carl asked.

"So?" Kain asked. "What the hell's going on? What's the situation?"

"As expected," Alicia said with a smile. "As soon as you got your brain back, you're as sharp as ever."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kain said. "So? What's the situation?"

She returned to a rather serious face.

"Well, we're currently stranded here, until the Kokonoe from our time can figure out a way to get us out," Alicia explained. "And while we're here, we need to track down Envy before he does something to severely alter the timeline."

"Envy, huh..." Kain said. "...'The Cursed Jester'..."

"The what?" Ragna asked.

"Well, since that the whole time slip theory is now the issue," Kain said. "And I actually remember him now...Envy is an infamous SS criminal and terrorist in our time. He beats your bounty by a mile."

"What'd he do?"

"He almost succeeded in destroying our city–hell the **world** several times, which is why the NOL is so focused on him," Kain said. "And he almost succeeded in reviving the Black Beast."

"What!?" they yelled.

The future group all had a grim look on their faces. Even Kidou couldn't stay smiling at that fact.

"How is that possible!?" Hakumen demanded.

"No one knows how," Alicia explained. "But fortunately, we were able to stop him, but in return, Envy released the incomplete Black Beast."

"But since it was incomplete," Kidou joined in. "Humanity was able to stop the Black Beast, but they couldn't kill it either. Envy made the critter well...before it was killed, the damn critter wiped out half of the hierarchichal cities."

"Then how did you guys defeat the Black Beast?" Noel asked.

"Simple," Alicia said. "With a new set of Six Heroes."

"A new Six Heroes?" Ragna asked.

"Yes," Alicia answered. "The group included me, Saya, Kidou, Claude, Itsuki, and Kain, leading the group."

"Well well," Jubei said. _'Wait...then what did Burai mean when he mentioned a 'rematch'?'_

They looked at Kain.

'_He's the leader?' _Ragna thought. _'And he's pretty much in the masked bitch's position...'_

"Hmph, for the Six Heroes–no warriors, from the future," Jin scoffed after Itsuki and Hikari helped him up. "They weren't as strong as the ones from our times."

"Well, if you fought Burai, Itsuki or Kain," Alicia pointed out. "Then that would be understandable, since none of them are at full power."

"What?" Jin asked.

"Burai had his Nox Nyctores damaged during the fight and were in repairs before he came in here, so he had to adjust to a completely new attack strategy," Alicia explained. "Itsuki wasn't a selfless hero anymore and lost his true connection to the Tsukiusagi, thereby getting weaker as a result and Kain didn't even remember who he was. Plus, during the trip here, we were all weakened due to 'circumstances'. Kain, especially."

"So you guys are all weaker than you're supposed to be?" Makoto asked.

"Pretty much," Kidou said. "But I think I got a cure fer' that, now that everyone's here."

Kidou took out his larger sword and tapped it on the ground. It released a pulse that spread out through the entire castle. Everyone felt a surge of energy within them.

"Whoa," Tao said "Tao feels super-stronger now!"

"What was that?" Carl asked.

"'Avalon'," Kain said. "So you used 'Caliburn''s version."

"Yep," Kidou said. "This outta fix everyone up."

"I feel normal again..." Hikari said.

"Alright!" Mary exclaimed.

"Oh, and before I forget," Kidou said. He rummaged through his kimono and took out two gauntlets with long sharp blades sticking out of the sides. "Here ya' go, Burai. I managed to swipe them from Kokonoe before we left."

"Aw, sweet!" Burai exclaimed as he accepted them and put them on. "They're back to normal!"

"That's his Nox Nyctores?" Jin asked.

"Nox Nyctores: Mucro Procella: Tengu," Burai said. "It manipulates the currents in the wind."

"Does everyone here have a Nox Nyctores!?" Makoto asked.

"Pretty much," Claude said.

There were a lot more questions that needed to be asked, but for now, they were all tired.

"For now," Alicia suggested. "We should rest. We'll resume with all the questions tomorrow."

They all agreed, where Rachel snapped her fingers.

"Valkenhayn," Rachel ordered. "Escort our guests to their rooms."

"As you wish, Madam Rachel," Valkenhayn said.

"So, how are we going to divide up the rooms?" Itsuki asked.

"All of yer'," Kidou declared. "Pair up with yer' future parents!"

They all looked surprised, but they eventually got things settled out. Itsuki and Hikari followed Jin, Claude and Mary followed Makoto and Carl, Burai reluctantly followed Bang and Litchi, and Kain and Saya followed Ragna and Noel. Kidou and Alicia stayed behind, Sieg stayed behind with Kokonoe.

"Don't tell me..." Kokonoe said.

Sieg only stared at Kokonoe.

"My god..." she muttered.

Iris looked confused in the midst of this.

"Uh...what do I do?" she asked.

"Just stay here, I guess," Kain said.

She looked a little down, but Kain rubbed her head.

"Don't worry," Kain said. "We'll be back."

"...okay," Iris said, much to the other girls' dismay.

* * *

Jin sat on a bed as Itsuki and Hikari sat on the other.

"Okay then," Jin said. "Start talking."

"About?" Hikari asked nervously.

"Well, let's see," Jin responded. "Although I have a good idea, who is your mother?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Itsuki asked. "It's Tsubaki Yayoi."

Jin flustered a little.

"I figured as much," Jin said, then looked at Itsuki's and Hikari's attire. "So, you two are with the future NOL?"

"I'm the captain of the 4th Division of the NOL," Itsuki said.

"While I'm the leader of the Zero Squadron," Hikari said.

"...I assume that the NOL has settled down, at least," Jin said.

"Yes," Itsuki replied. "Ever since Kagura Mutsuki overthrew the Imperator, the NOL has become more pacifistic and calm."

"Kagura Mutsuki?" Jin asked. _'The next heir to the Mutsuki family, if I recalled...I haven't seen him in a while...'_

"So I take it that he's in charge?" Jin asked.

"Yes," Itsuki answered. "Until he retires after a few years, then entrusts it to you, Father."

"Me!?"

"Yes," Hikari explained. "Sir Kagura and Father reorganizes the NOL, so now it wasn't a world power anymore. It was a more democratic government. The world was at peace."

"I see..." Jin said. "Tell me...what happens to me and Tsubaki?"

"Before you became the current Imperator of our time," Itsuki said. "You were the head of the Kisaragi clan and reorganized the system of the Duodecim."

"So, there is overall peace," Jin said. "Within the NOL and those involved with it."

"You can say that," Hikari said.

Jin stared at Hikari.

"...Uh...can I help you, Father?" Hikari asked nervously.

"If you're my daughter," Jin said. "Then wouldn't that make Kain, whose Brother's son, my nephew and your cousin?"

"Yes," Hikari said.

"Then wouldn't that make you being with Kain incest?" Jin asked.

"Wha-!?" Hikari blurted embarrassed. "I-I-I-I-I-II-it doesn't matter! I ha-h-have the right to love whoever I want!"

"I question that too," Itsuki said with a sigh. "But I just let her do as she pleases."

As Hikari was panicking, Jin chuckled a little.

'_She reminds me of Tsubaki...' _Jin thought. _'...Tsubaki...'_

"Hikari," Jin said. "I heard from Jubei that you mentioned something along the line of 'denying him again'."

Their faces suddenly became grim.

"What does that mean?" Jin asked.

* * *

Claude and Mary were on one side of the room, while a nervous Makoto and a rather flustered Carl wee on the other side.

"So...?" Makoto asked.

"So...what?" Mary asked.

"I mean, what happens to us in the future!?" Makoto asked enthusiastically.

"Uh..." Mary said. "How do I explain that...?"

"After the NOL Rebellion," Claude said. "You two somehow hook up and end up working for Sector Seven."

"Work for Sector Seven?" Carl asked.

"Sector Seven calmed down after the power balance shifted, and Sector Seven becomes on equal terms with the NOL in terms of power," Claude said. "Hell, the NOL and Sector Seven form an alliance and are now on friendlier terms."

"Is that so?" Carl asked. "...Do you know what happened to Relius Clover?"

"...I have no idea," Claude said. "We never met him before. He is dead, but we don't know how."

"I see..." Carl said.

"I'm sorry, Ca–Father," Claude said.

"Huh!? Oh right," Carl said, not used to being called 'father'.

As Carl looked embarrassed, Makoto put on a rather mischievous grin.

"So," Makoto said as she clung on Carl. "How did Mommy and Daddy hook up?"

"Wha-!? Miss Makoto!?" Carl blurted, embarrassed and panicking.

"It's probably best that you don't know," Claude said.

"We can't tell you so that we don't screw up the future, or something like that," Mary said.

"I see..." Makoto said.

"But don't you think that you just jeopardized your existence by telling us?" Carl asked.

"Why?" Mary asked.

"I mean, now that we know," Carl explained. "And if things go awkward between me and Miss Makoto, then you two would cease to exist."

"I'm not worried," Mary suddenly said.

"Why?" Carl asked.

"Because," Mary said. "I know you two will end up together."

"Huh?" they asked confused.

"Call it, a woman's intuition," Mary said.

As the two looked a bit flustered, Claude looked extremely stunned.

"Y-You're speaking like a girl!?" Claude exclaimed. "Impossible!"

Mary suddenly smashed her fist into his face.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean!?" Mary yelled. "You jackass!"

The two look surprised, then started to laugh as Mary and Claude had their sibling fight.

"But I'm curious," Carl asked. "How did you guys even get here?"

The two siblings looked up to their future parents.

"Well..." they said.

* * *

Burai was leaning against a wall, where Litchi was on one bed, while Bang was on the other. The two adults looked at each other, but flustered immediately after seeing Burai.

"So, you're our s-s-son?" Litchi asked.

"Yep," Burai answered flatly.

"S-S-So, Burai," Bang said. "This is the first time we have met in this period. How have you been?"

"Fine, I guess..." Burai said a bit uneasily.

"So..." Litchi said. "H-how's the future?"

"How?" Burai asked.

"I mean, like..." Litchi said, trying to find a topic to talk about.

"What is the fate of Ikaruga!?" Bang suddenly boomed.

"Well, if nothing to change the timeline happens," Burai said. "Then after the NOL Rebellion, Kagura Mutsuki gives back Ikaruga to the people, where you end up becoming its new leader."

"Me!? As the leader of Ikaruga!?" Bang yelled. "But...what about Lord Tenjo's son!?"

"I don't know," Burai shot back rather annoyed. "The dude died off before I was born."

"I see..." Bang said.

Burai looked a bit uneasy being around them.

"Is something the matter, Burai?" Litchi said.

"Huh? Oh, nothing'," Burai said.

"No, it's not nothing," Litchi said. "You seem out of it. What's wrong?"

Burai tried to glare at Litchi, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Tch...fine..." Burai said. "It's just...this is pretty awkward for me to be seeing you guys..."

"Huh?" Litchi asked. "Why?"

"...I ended up in a pretty messy fight with you guys in my time," Burai said. "And I kind of ran off with the others to find Kain..."

"So you," Litchi said. "Ran away?"

"Gah! Don't say it like that!" Burai yelled. "It sounds embarrassing!"

"Why did you have a fight?" Bang asked.

"...They were pissed off at me," Burai said reluctantly.

"Why?" Litchi asked.

"...There were a lot of reasons," Burai said. "I'm pretty sure that they were tired of dealing with a delinquent like me..."

"What!?" Litchi exclaimed. "Why would we think that!?"

"Heh! Compared to the rest of the hall of fame," Burai said. "I'm pretty much the odd one out! I'm not as smart as everyone else, I'm sure as hell am not as strong as everyone else, and I'm a failure as a ninja."

Burai snickered at himself.

"If I was the parent," Burai said. "I would be pretty annoyed by such a failure."

"Burai!" Litchi exclaimed. "You're not a failure!"

"How would you know?" Burai asked. "FYI, we just 'met'. How would you know if I was a failure or not?"

"You seemed to be accepted by both Jin Kisaragi and Sir Jubei," Bang said. "And you possess a Nox Nyctores. So you can't be a failure!"

"Heh! Says you!" Burai shot back. "I'm a failure, compared to the rest..."

"...Burai..." Litchi said. "Could it be...that you wanted to prove yourself to them?"

Burai's eyes widened.

"What?" he asked.

"I think," Litchi said. "That you're just angry that you aren't as strong as the others, so you're only lashing it out on others and try to prove that you are just as good as them. Is that it?"

Burai stared at Litchi.

"...H-Heh!" Burai denied. "You're really callin' me power mad when there's a real megalomaniac like Itsuki out there!?"

"Burai," Bang said. "There is nothing to be ashamed of for pursuing acceptance. But I am sure that your friends already accept you for who you are."

Burai was reluctant to accept that.

"Keh! It ain't that simple!" Burai rebutted.

"You are all friends, right?" Bang asked.

"Of course we are!" Burai yelled.

"Then don't you think that they will accept you no matter what?" Bang asked.

Burai tried to answer that, but he couldn't. He was too wrapped up in his own ideals that he never really gave a thought about that.

"...They wouldn't know that," Burai said. "I've been the happy-go-lucky team-player the whole time, so they wouldn't notice..."

"Oh I'd beg to differ," Bang said. "If your bond is strong, then they will notice."

"...Oh really..." Burai said.

"Now now, Burai," Litchi said.

"...If I may ask one more question," Bang said.

"Shoot," Burai said.

"...What do you mean," Bang asked more seriously. "...when you mentioned a rematch with the Black Beast?"

Burai glared at Bang.

"...Jubei told you," Burai said. "Didn't he?"

"He asked me to investigate this before we split up," Bang said.

"…I tried to fight Kain as the Black Beast once," Burai said. "By provoking him to do so."

"What!?" they exclaimed.

"But obviously," Burai continued. "I lost, and almost got myself killed if it weren't for Kidou saving my ass at the last second."

"Why would you do that!?" Bang asked.

"You just spewed out the answer, didn't you?" Burai asked.

"...Is that why 'we' got mad at you?" Litchi asked.

"As expected, Mom," Burai said. "...I regretted it myself after learning of the crap that Kain had to deal with all of his life, and I went to apologize to him."

"What happened?" Bang asked.

Burai had a light snicker.

"We ended up having a fist fight," Burai said. "Afterwards we became close friends."

They smiled as Burai chuckled at his own memory.

* * *

Outside in the garden, Alicia was having tea with Rachel and Valkenhayn.

"So you are my daughter?" Rachel asked.

"Not exactly," Alicia said. "I am your foster daughter."

"Foster daughter?" Valkenhayn asked.

"...My original parents were killed when I was little," Alicia explained. "...But before I died, you graciously saved me, Madam Rachel."

"You may call me 'Mother'," Rachel said. "If you want."

"I see...M-mother..." Alicia said rather nervously, which was out of character for her.

"So tell me," Rachel said. "Are you the next heir to the Alucard Estate?"

"Yes," Alicia answered.

"And how is the world in the future?" Rachel asked.

"It is at peace," Alicia said. "The NOL and Sector Seven, under new rule, have both become more equal powers. The world was at peace."

"'Was'?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Until Kain awoke his Azure and his Theios Anima Arma," Alicia said. "The world believed that he alone posed a threat that could risk the existence of humanity. Since he had technology that neither of them had even heard of."

"They didn't have the technology?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," Alicia explained. "Originally, they had no name to begin with; the NOL just called it a Theios Anima Arma. How they were named were completely based on the users."

"They named the weapons?" Rachel asked.

"Right," Alicia said. "If they knew the name from the start or if they just named them on whim is completely unknown, but since you wouldn't expect little kids to know the terms 'Blood Scythe Telos', or 'Kusanagi Souten', the first option seemed best to assume."

"How were they developed?" Valkenhayn asked.

"They know little about the Theios Anima Armas," Alicai explained. "All they know is that they possess greater potential than the Nox Nyctores and that their core is the Azure."

"Then what do 'you' know?" Rachel asked.

"I only inferred from hypothesis," Alicia said. "And I found it was true. The Armas are originated and created based on the user's most distinct emotions and only appears when they truly desire it."

"Most distinct emotions?" Valkenhayn asked.

"For Kain's case," Alicia went on. "The Blood Scythe Telos was created based on his will to live."

"His will?"

"To either slash down, or to shoot down," Alicia responded. "The Blood Scythe Telos was designed so that Kain could take down any opponent that stood in his way so that he could live on."

"What about your friend with the Murakumo?"

"For Saya's case," Alicia explained. "The Kusanagi Souten was created based on her lust for her brother."

"Lust?" Rachel asked.

"The siblings were shunned and feared for their powers," Alicia said. "But Saya was affected the most. She was practically treated like dirt by everyone except for her family and those who sympathized with her. And since Kain had protected her ever since they were little, it would be obvious that she would develop a rather unhealthy affection to him."

"I see..." Valkenhayn said.

"So the Kusanagi," Alicia said. "Was designed so that she could kill anyone who came in contact with Kain. It is a byproduct that symbolizes her demented and possessive love for Kain."

"Doesn't all of this sound familiar," Rachel said. "Like parent, like child, I guess."

"There are also anomalies," Alicia said. "Like the Luminous Aegis that appeared to Iris. Apparently, if one has come into a good enough contact with the Azure for a while, the Arma will develop and be manifested by them. Although this is obviously limited to Kain's or Saya's Azure, this is something to take note about."

"So, what is the shield representing?" Rachel asked.

"If I were to have to guess..." Alicia said. "The shield formed based on her desire to protect Kain."

"To protect?" Rachel asked.

"The Aegis..." Alicia said. "The shield used by the gods...it can defend against even Hakumen's attacks. A miniature Tsukuyomi Unit, if we were to compare. It exists so that she can become Kain's shield."

"I see..." Valkenhayn said.

"But," Alicia said. "I believe that the Armas came to them to save them."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Before they received their Armas," Alicia said. "Each one of them have suffered in their own pain and agony...and when the Armas came to them, they all changed in their own ways. They changed for the better..."

Alicia was smiling to herself.

"...Alicia," Rachel said. "You have some affection towards him, do you not?"

Alicia suddenly blushed.

"It looks like I was right," Rachel said. "But still, coming from the son of Ragna, he seems more of a gentleman than Ragna."

"Indeed," Valkenhayn said. "That Kain fellow seems more sophisticated and more mannerly than that low-life, Madam."

"If it was him," Rachel said. "I would not mind you getting married, even if it was with a peasant."

Alicia looked a bit offended.

"I graciously accept your blessings," Alicia said. "But I would like if you do not call Kain a 'peasant'."

She glared at Rachel, surprising even her.

"...Very well..." Rachel said. "But I shall give you some advice."

"Huh?" Alicia asked.

"'All is fair in love and war'," Rachel said. "Do remember that."

* * *

In her own corner, Kokonoe and Tager were stuck with Sieg, in an awkward mood. She kept glancing at the metal soldier who is supposedly her son. Sieg only glanced back, forcing her to retreat.

"And I thought Tager alone topped the cake," Kokonoe said. "...So you're my son?"

Sieg nodded.

"Is 'Sieg' your real name?" Kokonoe asked.

Sieg shook his head.

"What is your name?"

Sieg didn't respond.

"Right...you couldn't talk..." Kokonoe said. "Damn it...if I had seen this coming, then I would have equipped Tager with something to translate him instead of that other function."

"What?" Tager asked. "What did you do to me!?"

"Oh nothin'."

"It's no use there, Professor," a voice interrupted.

They looked to see Kidou drinking some water while watching the moon.

"Nothin' ya' have now will help ya'," Kidou remarked. "Translate whatever Siegfried is tryin' to say."

"Siegfried?" she asked. "That's his name?"

"Yep," Kidou said. "But really, ya' think 3 year olds are gonna be able to pronounce it right? They call him Sieg for short."

"Where's your parent?" Tager asked. "Don't tell me you're Kokonoe's son as well?"

"Nope," Kidou said. "My old man ain't here."

"Who's your dad, then?" Kokonoe asked.

"...You know the NOL's 'Black Knight'?" Kidou asked.

"'The Black Knight'?" Kokonoe asked. "Wait...you mean Kagura Mutsuki!?"

"Bingo," Kidou said. "I'm his son."

"Say what!?" they yelled.

Kidou chuckled a little.

"The white hair led you guys off, didn't it?" Kidou asked. "...I don't know who my mom is...she died when she gave birth to me..."

"...What happened?" Kokonoe asked.

"Pops overthrew the Imperator with the help of y'all," Kidou explained. "And he became the new Imperator and led the world into an era of peace. But durin' his free time, he ran a training facility, where me and Kain learned how to fight."

"So Kagura Mutsuki taught you to how to fight?" Tager asked.

"Mostly me," Kidou answered. "Kain got his lessons from Ragna the Bloodedge, and Pops just added some more tricks afterwards."

"No wonder the brat's strong..." Kokonoe said. "So what happens to Sieg?"

"...Yer' son is a great friend of both Claude and Mary," Kidou said. "It's because of that selfless friendship, is what killed him..."

"What!?"

"Claude was supposed to die from an accident," Kidou only said. "...but instead, Sieg took the hit to save him."

The two looked shocked. Kidou however, only drank his drink, while Sieg only stared at them with soulless eyes.

"Ya' tried to save him with all of yer effort," Kidou said. "And as a result, Sieg became the Nox Nyctores, Bellum Machina: Palladion."

"Are you telling me I end up doing what that bastard did!?" Kokonoe yelled in seething rage.

As Kokonoe went over to punch Kidou, Sieg stopped her.

"Sieg never regretted it..." Kidou said. "Or so he told us."

"How?" Kokonoe asked.

"He may not be able to talk," Kidou shot back. "But he sure as hell can still write."

Sieg nodded. He opened up his core and mask, to show his human self. He was smiling.

"'If it was to protect my friends'," Kidou said. "'Then I regret nothing.' That was the first and only thing he told us as Palladion."

Kokonoe looked up at Sieg.

"He takes after his old man, I guess..." Kidou said. "He's still alive...ya' did save him. If anything, he's way better than that mad scientist's work. He's still 'human'."

Sieg nodded as his armor closed back up.

"...So..." Kokonoe asked. "Who's daddy?"

"Some dude who worked for ya'," Kidou said. "Although in the future, he becomes as good as you. Well he at least looks like Sieg. But he died in an accident..."

Kokonoe sat back down on the ground.

"Well isn't this goddamn great..." Kokonoe said. "So I'm having my future told to me...and it's a rather crappy one too...honestly, do you really think it's a good idea telling us our futures?"

"Don't worry ya; pretty little head," Kidou said. "We got that covered."

Kokonoe looked confused and suspicious, but she decided to leave it as that.

"So..." Kokonoe asked. "How's my husband?"

"He's a bit spineless..." Kidou said. "But without his help, ya' never would've saved Sieg, or create all the new Nox Nyctores that don't require the Black Beast as a core..."

"What?" she asked. "He created the new Nox Nyctoreses?"

Kidou grinned.

"You save lives, Kokonoe," Kidou said. "The new Nox help society a damn hell of a lot."

Kokonoe sort of smiled a little, as Kidou continued to drink. She then glanced at Sieg.

"Now..." she said. "Show me that transformation of yours. I wanna see just how good you are."

Sieg only nodded as he transformed into his jet form. Kokonoe got on, as Sieg flew to the sky like a rocket.

* * *

The mood was rather awkward in the Bloodedge/Vermillion room. Ragna and Noel were sitting on one side, while Saya was sitting on the other side of the room. Kain had left to get some food.

"So..." Noel asked. "Y-You're our daughter?"

"Yep," Saya said.

'_Ragna!' _Noel whispered. _'Why didn't you notice anything!?'_

'_How the hell should I have guessed that she's our kid!?'_ Ragna whispered back. _'I only thought she was another Murakumo Unit! And frankly, how the hell could I guess that!?'_

"I can hear you," Saya said.

The two jumped a little as they faced Saya.

"S-S-So..." Noel stammered. "H-H-H-How does this all happen?!"

"Well," Saya said. "After you two beat Terumi and the Imperator with everyone else, Mr. Kagura made it look like he overthrew the Imperator to the public."

"Why?" Ragna asked.

"Because what you guys did," Saya said. "Apparently couldn't be explained to the public."

"Okay then...that sounds reasonable..." Ragna said. "But why is it us?"

Noel looked a little shocked.

"Don't you guys," Saya asked. "Love each other?"

At that moment, both Ragna and Noel turned completely red.

"W-W-What the hell're you talking about!?" Ragna yelled.

"T-T-Th-that's right!" Noel stammered. "I-I-I-I-I-I-I-It's nothing l-l-l-like that!?"

Saya grinned mischievously.

"Oh, this is too obvious..." Saya said.

"What the hell're you doing?" Kain asked from the door. He came in, carrying some drinks and a bowl of scones.

"Where'd you get the scones?" Ragna asked.

"I made them," Kain said. "Valkenhayn was at the kitchen, so I asked if I could make something, then he showed me how to make scones."

"You can cook?" Noel asked.

"Well, Dad taught me how to when I was little," Kain said.

"Yay! Brother's cooking!" Saya rejoiced as she reached for a scone.

"So," Noel asked. "Why is your last name 'Vermillion' instead of 'Bloodedge'? Since we're married in the future, shouldn't that be your last name?"

"Do you really think," Saya asked as she munched on a scone. "Society won't notice a kid with the last name of a criminal?"

"I guess that's true..." Noel said.

"So what happens to us afterwards?" Ragna asked.

"Well," Kain said. "If I can remember, you become a chef of a restaurant, while Mom becomes a teacher at a nursery."

"That makes sense," Noel said.

"If it was the other way around," Kain said. "Then we'd have to look for jobs at the tender age of nine."

"Can't argue with that," Ragna agreed simply.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Noel demanded.

"Well, in terms of combat," Saya picked up. "Dad taught Brother, then me and Akira how to use our Azure, then Dad and Mr. Kagura taught Brother how to fight, while Mom taught me how to use the Kusanagi."

"Well, that explains why you're strong," Ragna said.

"Wait, Kagura?" Noel asked. "You mean the Black Knight, Kagura Mutsuki!?"

Kain and Saya nodded.

"Hell," Kain added. "Kidou is his son."

"Seriously!?" Noel exclaimed.

"The Black Knight..." Ragna said. "So he's with the NOL...wait, why is he planning to overthrow the Imperator?"

"Who knows," Kain said. "You guys never gave us the entire details."

The two looked a little impressed, but at the same time a little nervous.

"? What's the matter, Ragna? Noel?" Kain asked.

They looked surprised.

"Aren't you gonna call us 'Dad' or 'Mom'?" Ragna asked.

"Why?" Kain asked.

"Well, because..." Noel explained while blushing. "We're...your parents..."

"Yeah," Kain said. "But you're not our parents 'now'."

They looked confused.

"Yeah, you two'll become our parents in like three years or so," Kain said. "But for now, you two are our friends."

"Friends?" Ragna asked.

"Yeah," Kain said. "You two are our important friends."

He held his hand out to Ragna and Noel.

"I haven't properly introduced myself yet," Kain said. "I'm Kain B. Vermillion."

The two looked rather stunned, but started to laugh.

"Did I say something funny?" Kain asked.

"You're one strange brat," Ragna said. "I think I'm gonna have fun raising you in the future."

"Same here," Noel said. "I'm starting to look forward to being an actual family."

They shook his hand.

"Ragna the Bloodedge," Ragna said.

"I'm Noel Vermillion," Noel said. "Nice to meet you, Kain."

Kain grinned, until Saya clung on him.

"Isn't that nice, Brother?" Saya exclaimed affectionately.

"Get off me, Saya..." Kain said as he pried her off.

"Aw, don't pretend you didn't enjoy it," Saya responded after trying to get back on him.

"Goddamn it," Kain said. "Siblings aren't supposed to be this affectionate!"

"That doesn't matter!" Saya boomed. "Besides, what's so wrong in a little sister loving his big brother!?"

"It's not wrong," Kain said. "...if it was only a 'sisterly affection', but in your case, you're definitely aiming for incest!"

"Is it that obvious?" Saya asked with a sly tone.

'_Then again...'_ Noel thought. _'It will be a hassle...'_

'_This chick reminds me of Jin...' _Ragna thought.

"What's so wrong about incest!?" Saya asked. "There's nothing in the law saying that it's illegal!"

"I'm pretty sure it's a case of morale!" Kain rebutted.

"Love transcends all!" Saya boomed. "As long as there's love, gender, status, or even family connections doesn't matter! Hell, two boy siblings can go at it as long as there's love!"

'_Scratch that...' _Noel thought_. 'A lot of a hassle.'_

'_Jin would love to hear this...' _Ragna thought. _'I can just picture him running a campaign about this.'_

"I get it, so calm the hell down," Kain said as he hit her in the head.

"You do get it!?" Saya exclaimed. "Then does that mean–!?"

"Oh hell no," Kain said with a smile.

Saya looked shocked and fell to her knees.

"Then..." Saya asked with an innocent face. "Can we at least sleep together like old times?"

"And let you take advantage of me?" Kain asked. "No way."

As Saya threw a fit, they all laughed nervously. Ragna and Noel glanced at each other, but quickly turned away from embarrassment.

'_But still...'_ Ragna thought.

'_Me and Ragna, huh...' _Noel thought.

They both blushed at that thought.

* * *

In her room, Iris was gazing at the night sky. The light shined down on her shield, as it sparkled in the light.

"The moon's so big..." she said.

_I wonder how everyone's doing reconnecting with their parents..._

She looked down to the rose garden, where she saw Rachel getting along with Alicia.

"Parents...huh..." Iris said rather hesitantly.

She stared at the moon for a while, then decided to leave. She roamed around the house, trying to find the way out. But with each turn, she got more and more lost. Within minutes she couldn't tell where she was going.

'_Man this place is huge...' _Iris thought, panting. _'Honestly, why do nobles have to have unnecessarily large houses?'_

As Iris tried to find her way out, she bumped into someone.

"Kya!"

She fell back.

"My goodness," an elderly voice said. "Are you alright?"

She looked up to see Valkenhayn carrying a cart with some tea.

"I'm sorry, Mr..." Iris said, but she never got his name.

"It is Valkenhayn, madam," he addressed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Iris said. "My name is Iris Esperanto."

"I see," he said. "Madam, are you lost?"

"Uh, yes!" Iris stuttered. "I was trying to go outside, but this is a big place, so I didn't know where to..."

"I can understand," Valkenhayn said. "It just so happened that I was heading outside to serve the two madams tea. If you want, you may come along with me."

"That would be grateful, yes!" Iris exclaimed.

"Very well," Valkenhayn said. "Come with me, madam."

As Iris followed Valkenhayn, she looked around the mansion.

"So, everyone else is in their rooms?" Iris asked.

"Yes, they were all tired," Valkenhayn answered. "So it seemed fitting that they all had a well-deserved rest."

"I see..." Iris said. "So...I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"Are you the Valkenhayn of the Six Heroes?" Iris asked.

"You are sharp," Valkenhayn said. "Indeed, I am Valkenhayn R. Hellsing of the Six Heroes."

"I knew it..." Iris said. "And that bipedal cat, along with the girl who looked like a magical girl...they are Jubei and Trinity, are they not?"

"You are very intelligent," he complimented. "Indeed, they are. Miss Iris, how do you know this much?"

"I studied the Dark War during my childhood," Iris said. "I thought if I got smarter, then it would please my parents..."

She looked a bit down as she mentioned her parents. But before she could recover, the two made it outside.

"Here we are," Valkenhayn said.

"Huh? Oh right..." Iris said. "Thank you, Mr. Valkenhayn..."

"You are very welcome," Valkenhayn said with a smile.

"Valkenhayn," Rachel called.

The elderly butler went to his master's table, leaving Iris in the garden. She looked out to the garden. She could see Rachel and Alicia enjoying their tea from Valkenhayn. In the corner, she could see Tager panicking for some strange reason, but then looked up to see Kokonoe riding a sort of fighter jet like a mad bull, where Kidou was laughing while drinking an entire bottle of something.

"Everyone seems to be happy..." Iris said.

"What?" a voice asked form behind. "You feel left out?"

Iris jumped and turned to see Kain.

"Kain!?" Iris asked. "What're you doing here? How did you get out here so fast!?"

"I needed some fresh air," Kain answered. Since dealing with an insane psychopath can tire a man out. I visited this place a lot in my childhood so I remember the mansion's inner. Glad it didn't change that much."

Alicia noticed the voice and turned to see Kain. She seemed rejoiced as she was about to get up, but also noticed Iris with him, and sat back down.

"Shouldn't you be reconnecting with your parents?" Iris asked.

"They aren't my parents yet," Kain said. "So I don't really have to reconnect or anything. Plus they make good distractions against Saya."

"I see..." Iris said.

"...Iris," Kain said. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Iris asked. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, you aren't your usual perky self," Kain said. "And you seemed distressed when you mentioned 'parents'."

"So you can figure that much out..." Iris said.

"Don't take me lightly," Kain said. "So...what's the matter?"

"...I was wondering how my parents were doing..." Iris said. "I haven't seen them in a while..."

"So you feel like seeing them again?" Kain asked.

Iris nodded.

"...Their both part of the Imperial Palace Guards," Iris explained. "They're both really strong."

"Is that so," Kain said.

"I wanted to become like them," Iris said. "So I studied real hard and practiced fighting, but I ended up not getting that much of a good score in the Military Academy evaluations...but I managed to get myself into the Zero Squadron..."

"Hey, at least you made it in," Kain said. "Good for you."

"...Yeah, but I always mess up on my missions..." Iris said. "So I'm only a burden to the team...heck I'm sure my parents aren't proud of me..."

"That's not true," Kain rebutted. "You worked hard to get to where you are. Your parents are proud of you."

"Yeah...but I ended up becoming a fugitive because of you..." Iris pointed out. "And lost all of that effort in one hour..."

"Ah..."

Kain looked uneasy and guilty.

"...I'm sorry..." Kain said.

"Wha-No No! It's not your fault!" Iris stammered. "It was just a long chain of unfortunate misunderstandings..."

"That doesn't make me feel better..."

Iris looked a little worried, but Kain just snickered and patted her head.

"Just kidding," Kain said.

"Wha-!? Hey!" Iris said angrily.

Iris pouted, but Kain only rubbed her head.

"There, doesn't that make you feel better?" Kain asked.

"I-I guess..." Iris said.

"Look," Kain responded. "No matter what, your parents won't be ashamed of you. You're a smart, talented, honest, kind and beautiful girl. Not to mention you saved my ass from being arrested when we met. Your parents should be proud."

Iris didn't respond, but looked a bit amazed at Kain. Kain, just realizing what he said, started to get flustered and looked away.

"W-Well..." Kain stammered. "You do look scary when you're mad, so if they should be ashamed of something..."

"Wha-Hey!" Iris exclaimed embarrassed.

As the two were playfully fighting, they didn't notice Alicia eyeing them, or Saya murderously glaring at them from their room. Hikari and Mary happened to look out their window, and saw Kain enjoying teasing Iris, much to their dismay.

"Who's...she...?" Saya asked herself, with growing malice.

* * *

Izayoi reached a dark room, with only a white hallway leading her path. She kept walking forward, until she stopped. she looked up, where a light shined down upon a dark pedestal. On top of the pedestal, stood the Imperator. Her soulless red eyes looked down upon Izayoi, as Izayoi knelt to her knees.

"Great Imperator," Izayoi said. "Major Tsubaki Yayoi has returned."

"Tsubaki Yayoi..." the Imperator said in a monotone. "...I see you have unlocked the Izayoi's true potential."

"Yes," Izayoi responded. "I have obtained the true powers of the Izayoi to serve as your loyal sword."

"Very well..." the Imperator said. "Then I have a mission for you."

"What is it?" Izayoi asked. "I am at your command."

"...Go slay the rebels," she responded. "You should be well aware of who I mean."

Izayoi looked a little uneasy, wihch the Imperator took notice to.

"Do you have any objections?" the Imperator asked.

"O-Of course not!" Izayoi exclaimed. "It is just...is there anyway to forgive the rebels?"

"...What?"

"I mean no disrespect!" Izayoi said. "It is just, I cannot find them to truly be rebels..."

The Imperator only stared down at her, intimidating Izayoi.

"I-Is it not our duty," Izayoi asked. "To protect the innocent and to punish the sinners? If we punish those who are truly innocent, then wouldn't that make us the sinner?"

"...If I recall..." the Imperator said. "Your friends were also part of the rebels, am I wrong?"

Izayoi couldn't rebutt to that.

"It matters not whether they are your friends or not," she said. "All who defy the NOL are sinners, no matter what purpose they may have. You must only judge them. That is your only purpose."

Izayoi looked down to the ground.

"Do I make myself clear?" the Imperator asked.

"Y-Yes...Great Imperator..." Izayoi said, defeated.

"...Along with that..." the Imperator ordered. "Keep an eye on Envy. It is clear that he cannot be trusted."

"Yes...Imperator..."

"I do hope you make the wise decision," the Imperator said.

With that, the light faded, leaving Izayoi alone to think about what she should do. She knows that her friends aren't truly rebels. But she is bound by order and loyalty to slay them. Stuck between whether she should do what she believes or do what is right, Izayoi left the room despaired and confused.

* * *

Relius had returned to his lab, checking up on the regeneration tank with the girl with white hair.

"It regenerated faster than I expected," Relius said. "Afterwards, we can re-tune her to become the Sword of Hades...wouldn't Terumi love this."

"Is everything going well, Colonel?" a voice asked.

Relius didn't need to turn around to know who that was.

"...Envy..." Relius said. "What do you want now?"

"Is something the matter?" Envy asked. "You seem stressed."

"...No, nothing for you to be concerned with..." Relius said.

"Anyway," Envy said. "I would like to request your help, if that's okay, Colonel."

"? With what?" Relius asked.

"I would like you to help me," Envy said. "Capture Kain B. Vermillion."

Behind his mask, Relius did look intrigued.

"...Go on," he said.

"It looks like Kain has regained all of his memories," Envy said. "So now, he is finally able to fight seriously, unlike all of those times where he had to fight with a handicap."

"Go on."

"Which means that Kain now has full access," Envy went on. "Along with full control to his Azure. He is now at full potential."

"I see."

"And what more," Envy said with a hint of glee. "He even has a better understanding of how to use the powers of the Black Beast."

Relius seemed to be in thought.

"Aren't you interested," Envy asked. "In his full potential, and his soul?"

Relius didn't respond, but smirked.

"What will you offer in return?" Relius asked.

"I knew you were going to ask that," Envy said. "So here."

He snapped his fingers, where he and Relius instantaneously transported to a dark room with several seithr orbs.

"This is...!" Relius exclaimed.

"Remnants of the Paradigm," Envy said. "If you help me capture Kain and allow me to undergo my experiment on him, then I shall give you these remnants. You are free to experiment on these."

Relius was stunned as he gazed at all the seithr orbs.

"Why would you give me these?" Relius asked.

"This is a good bargaining tool, is it not?" Envy asked. "And besides, I don't need all of these."

Relius gazed at the orbs. He chuckled.

"You have a deal," Relius said. "On one condition."

"Oh?" Envy asked.

"I get to observe your experiment on Kain," Relius declared.

"...I see..." Envy said, much less enthusiastic than before. "Very well then. You have a deal."

They shook on it.

"Now, shall we depart?" Envy asked. "It's time to make history..."

He snapped his fingers, where they teleported instantaneously.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** The first chapter in the story that didn't involve any real battling. I guess it turned out pretty good for a first. We get a look in most of the OCs past, Izayoi is questioning whether she should foolow her morales or her loyalty, and Envy and Relius make their moves; eyes set on Kain. How will all of this end?

Right, I just realized that I completely forgot to explain Iris' drive/overdrive (even if it is pretty obvious, but I felt bad for leaving her out).

Iris

Drive: Luminous Aegis: Allows her to protect and reflect most attacks that don't exceed 2500 damage.

Overdrive: God Aegis: Allow her to shield against any attack and powers up all o fher attacks that involve the Aegis. Sounds overpowered if you think about it.

Hoped you enjoyed it, don't forget to review, and until next time!


	18. Chapter 18: Descending Chaos

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 18: Descending Chaos**

* * *

**AN:** I'm back with a new chapter, and we're back to the fighting! Hope you enjoy!

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_Well...I got my memories back..._

_We now know who to go after..._

_And we finally have our powers back..._

_So...that only leaves one question..._

_Where's Akira?_

* * *

Where was Akira? Everyone was here, yet he is the only one not here. Kain couldn't help but worry about his little brother.

"Akira..." Kain said. "Where are you?"

He didn't stay worried for long, as Kain looked up and saw Kokonoe riding Sieg in his jet form like a mad bull.

"What the hell?" he asked.

"Kain!" Tager called out. "Help me stop her!"

"What the hell're you doing?" Kain asked as he went to help Tager out.

Iris only giggled as Kain tried to shoot down the flight-happy professor, until she noticed Alicia waving her hand to her. She went over to Alicia, who offered her a seat.

"So I take it," Alicia asked. "That you are his new partner?"

"Yes, you can say that," Iris said.

"So," she asked. "How was Kain during the whole trip you two had?"

"He was a nice person," Iris commented. "Strong too...although he could be pretty reckless at times..."

"He was always like that as a child," Alicia giggled. "I guess this journey of his hasn't changed him at all."

"How was he like a child?" Iris asked.

Alicia's smile turned into a rather sorrowful frown.

"Ever since his Azure awakened," Alicia explained. "The others were afraid of him."

"Huh?"

"The Azure Grimoire is an extreme power..." Alicia said. "Power may be interesting at first, but people will experience fear of it sooner or later...and thus, he was shunned and denied a normal childhood."

"What about everyone?" Iris asked.

"...Fear has a way of changing people..." Alicia said. "Eventually, they left him too...those siblings were left alone to despair..."

Iris looked devastated as Alicia sipped from her tea.

"It was when he was eight..." Alicia said. "That me and Kidou met him..."

"You and Kidou?" Iris asked.

"We were the only ones besides the adults," Alicia said. "Who weren't intimidated by him...because we understood his pain..."

"Pain?"

"...I lost my parents when I was young..." Alicia explained. "And Kidou never met his mother...but it was that we had family and friends whom helped us and supported us we were able to overcome that pain. But those siblings...they had no friends to rely on..."

"What about Ragna and Noel?" Iris asked.

"His parents were doing their best to cheer them up..." Alicia said. "But they were also suffering because they're the parents of the 'children of the Azure'...so they couldn't truly help them...because those siblings saw what they were doing to their beloved parents...and such, their despair continues..."

"That's cruel...!" Iris exclaimed. "Just because someone has a power...doesn't mean that they're monsters!"

"A fine way to think..." Alicia said. "But society was never that kind..."

Iris was seething with rage, but she calmed herself down.

"What happened after you and Kidou met Kain?" Iris asked.

"We helped him escape from that despair," Alicia said. "And taught him that no matter what, no one else's opinions matter...he can choose what he believes in. And he chose to believe that he can use his power to help others and free his family from the despair."

"I see..." Iris said. "So you two were his first true friends?"

"You can say that," Alicia said. "While everyone else were getting started on their training, the three of us were already accepting missions as vigilantes."

"Wow..." Iris said.

Alicia looked at Kain.

"He has shown that if you truly believe in yourself," Alicia said. "Then you can accomplish anything, free from despair."

"...If you truly believe in yourself..." Iris said.

As they were done, Kain managed to get Sieg and Kokonoe down.

"Seriously," Kain scolded. "Quit using your future son for a joy ride."

"Ah come on!" Kokonoe complained. "I always wanted to do that! Now if only I could get Tager to do that..."

"Like I'll let you do that!" Tager shot back.

As the two were arguing, Valkenhayn looked up at the moon, as Rachel yawned.

"Oh, excuse me..." she said. "But I do feel a little sleepy...perhaps we can continue this story tomorrow?"

"Very well, Mother," Alicia said. "Everyone! Let's head back in!"

They all stopped their fighting and headed back into the mansion. All except for Kain, who was staring at the moon.

"Kain?" Iris asked.

"Huh? Oh...it's nothing..." Kain said.

"Is something the matter?"

"It's just..." Kain said. "The moon...brings back memories..."

Rachel saw the two staring at the moon as she was heading back.

"Valkenhayn," she commanded. "When they are done, escort them to their rooms."

"As you wish, Madam Rachel," Valkenhayn said.

As the rest returned to their rooms, Kain and Iris stayed behind and stared at the moon.

* * *

Izayoi was heading out of the NOL headquarters, with a depressed look on her face.

_What am I going to do...? _

_I can't betray the Imperator..._

_But...I don't want to hurt my friends..._

_No...they defied the Imperator...so they are sinners..._

_Or...are they...?_

_Surely they all had their reasons...but..._

As Izayoi was heading down the path, she bumped into someone.

"Kya!"

"Whoa!"

As she fell, the person she bumped into caught her.

"You alright?" the man asked.

As Izayoi looked up, she saw a man with short black hair, wore a black cape with red lining and gold trimming, a white-robe like shirt and wore three belts; two around his stomach and another that dangled loosely around his waist.

"? Hey..." the man said. "Are you Tsubaki? The Yayoi girl?"

"!? Kagura Mutsuki!?" Izayoi exclaimed.

As she got back up, she took another look at the man. He was indeed the 'Black Gale' Kagura Mutsuki, the NOL's 'Black Knight'.

"Hey! It's been a while!" Kagura said jovially. "How ya' doin'?"

"F-Fine..." Izayoi said.

"? Somethin' the matter?" Kagura asked. "You look stressed..."

"I'm fine..." Izayoi said.

"You worried about whether you should follow the Imperator's orders," Kagura said. "Or whether you should trust your friends, right?"

Izayoi looked shocked.

"I guessed right," Kagura said. "...What's wrong?"

"...I was ordered to kill my friends because they were rebelling against the NOL," Izayoi said.

"What?"

"It is my duty as the Sword of the Imperator..." Izayoi said. "And as a loyal servant of the NOL...but I don't know what to do anymore..."

Kagura stared at Izayoi's despairing expression.

"Who do you trust more?" Kagura asked. "The Imperator? Or your friends?"

Izayoi looked up at Kagura.

"I...I..." Izayoi said.

Kagura sighed.

"Looks like you still can't decide..."Kagura said. "Well, that's the Yayoi for ya'..."

"I'm sorry..." Izayoi said.

"Nah, nah," Kagura said. "It's fine. Just think about what's truly important to you."

Izayoi still didn't know what to do.

"Look," Kagura said. "It's a good policy to follow directions or orders, but you gotta trust yourself first and be able to distinguish something you know is right, from something you know is wrong."

"Kagura..."

"Now, get goin'," Kagura said with a snicker. "Decide who you should believe in."

Izayoi had a glimpse of hope in her expression, as she headed out. Kagura saw her off, smiling.

"So that's the Izayoi's true form..." Kagura said. "Well, I know she'll use it for the right thing."

With that, Kagura headed to where he was going.

"...Now..." Kagura said to himself. "Let's see what the NOL's hiding here..."

* * *

Hazama entered Relius' lab, where the regeneration tank was.

"Relius?" Hazama called out. "Colonel Relius? Where did he go? Colonel!?"

He looked around, but he couldn't find Relius anywhere.

"No dice," Hazama said. "Now I wonder where he went..."

He gave up on looking for him, but noticed the regeneration tank.

"Oh, what's this?" he asked. "Looks like the Sword is regenerating faster than I thought...good..."

He put on a sly smirk on his face.

"Well then..." Hazama said. "Hey there, 'Nu'...how're you doin'?"

The girl named Nu didn't respond.

"Oh right, you don't give a shit about anyone except for your precious 'Ragna'..." Hazama said.

Nu twitched.

"Rag...na..." Nu murmured.

"Yes, Ragna..." Hazama said. "It won't be long 'till you two meet again..."

"Rag...na..."

"Oh, by the way, did you hear?" Hazama asked, grinning. "It looks like old Ragna got married."

Nu twitched.

"Eh...?" she asked.

"Yep," Hazama said. "I'm pretty sure it was with little Miss Noel. You remember right? From the cauldron back at Kagutsuchi? The chick that looked like you? He even got some kids. Isn't that nice..."

"Rag...na...?"

The tank started to crack.

"Ragna..."

"Oh?" Hazama asked.

"Ragna!"

The tank burst, where water and shards of glass spewed out everywhere.

"Whoa!" Hazama exclaimed. "Watch yourself there–!?"

He stepped back, as Nu floated down in front of him.

"Ragna can't be with someone else..." Nu said. "Ragna belongs to Nu! Nu belongs to Ragna! He can't be with anyone else! I'll kill her...I'll kill the bitch who stole Ragna from Nu!"

"Now, now there," Hazama said. "Let's calm down!"

Hazama quickly got behind her and knocked her out, making her drop like a rock.

"Honestly," Hazama said with a sigh. "I can't really have you throwing a hissy fit in his lab, or else Relius will kill me..."

Nu was knocked out, but tears fell from her eyes.

"Rag...na..." Nu murmured. "Don't...leave...me..."

"Well...at least she'll probably be willing to coöperate now," Hazama said. "Ke he he he he...Now then..."

He knelt towards the unconscious Nu.

"The kid's name is 'Kain'..." Hazama whispered into her ear. "If you kill him along with the bitch that stole Ragna from you, then Ragna might join you..."

"Rag...na..." Nu only murmured.

Hazama got up from her.

"...That's a big maybe...however..." Hazama said. "But it's still worth the effort isn't it? Ke he he he he..."

Hazama looked around and found some files on a computer. He looked through them, and looked rather surprised.

"Oh..." Hazama said. "Well isn't this rather bold. Probably shouldn't have told her that then...oh well, not my problem."

He looked at Nu.

"Well, I better put her back into another tank..." Hazama said with a groan.

* * *

In the castle, Alicia was looking around the castle. With a jovial hum, she explored her home from 20 years ago.

"So this is what the castle was like," Alicia said. "Years ago..."

She waltzed around the hallways, where the scenery of the nostalgic castle flowed around her.

"Not much has changed," Alicia said. "But...it is nostalgic..."

As she continued her waltz, a necklace came out from her shirt.

"Oops."

She quickly grabbed the necklace and fastened it around her neck.

"It looks like not being here for a while has really took its toll," Alicia said. "I can't lose this..."

She stared at the necklace. Its ruby like gem glowed in the moonlight.

"...This is the only thing I have left of my parents..." Alicia said. "...I can't lose this memento...no matter what..."

She was in deep thought, but tightly gripped her necklace and went on her way, until she suddenly stopped. She glared at the corner, and snapped her fingers, where a being with a sickle and a top hat appeared. At her command, the being disappeared.

"Wha-!? Hey!" a voice yelled.

From the corner, the being returned, carrying Saya. Alicia sighed as Saya tried to break free.

"Son of a... Alicia!" Saya yelled angrily. "Tell your damn clown to let me go!"

"What are you doing, Saya?" Alicia asked.

"What's it look like!?" Saya yelled. "I wanna know who that chick was!"

"You mean Iris?" Alicia asked.

"Who else is there!?" Saya shot back. "Who the hell is that bitch anyway?"

"It isn't very 'lady-like'," Alicia said. "To call someone a 'bitch'."

"Doesn't matter!" Saya yelled. "Who the hell is she!? Getting all close towards Brother..."

"She's Iris Esperanto..." Alicia explained. "Kain's current partner. And she possesses her own Arma."

"What!?" Saya yelled. "How the hell's that possible!?"

"Apparently," Alicia said. "She has been in great contact with Kain's Azure."

"Seriously..." Saya said with great annoyance.

"...You really need to do something," Alicia said. "About your brother complex."

"Why should I!?" Saya yelled. "All men are all just a piece of crap who are only interested in a girl's body..."

Saya started to shiver a little as she remembered her own experience.

"Right," Alicia said. "The only men you seem to trust are our friends, Ragna and the other adults, and Kain. And you barely trust the others."

Saya only glared out the window.

"...The world doesn't revolve around you or Kain," Alicia said.

"...I know..." Saya said. "And anyway, aren't you curious?"

"Huh?"

"About that Iris bitch or whatever," Saya said.

"I-I don't mind," Alicia said, blushing. "K-Kain can do whatever he wants, for all I care..."

"Hmm..." Saya teased. "So you don't mind if Kain does something 'dirty' to Iris."

"D...Dirty?" Alicia asked.

"You don't know?" Saya asked in a teasing tone.

"W-What!?"

"Kain and Iris..."

"Kain and Iris what!?"

"The two have se–"

"NOOO!"

From another corner, Hikari and Mary suddenly shot out of it and stopped Saya.

"What the!?" Saya yelled as the two flustered girls covered her mouth.

"Hikari? Mary?" Alicia asked. "What are you two doing here?"

"Uh...n-nothing..." Hikari said.

"It's not like we went to spy on Kain or anything," Mary blurted.

"Wha-!? You idiot!" Hikari whispered to Mary.

"You two were trying to sneak past us so that you two can see Kain," Alicia deduced. "But then you heard Saya saying something dirty about Kain, so you couldn't resist and stopped here. Is that it?"

The two looked guilty as charged.

"Don't you girls know anything about one's privacy?" Alicia asked. "And anyway, I'm surprised that you of all people would actually say that about Kain."

"I know," Saya said. "Normally the mere thought of Brother being with another girl that's not me would make me puke out blood, but teasing you was pretty much worth it."

"Kain isn't like that!" Hikari said. "And you should know that too! He's too oblivious to notice!"

"It doesn't matter," Saya declared. "Because I'm gonna be the one who will be with **together **with Brother in the end!"

"Why the hell is it you!?" Mary yelled. "Don't forget you still have to deal with us!"

"That's right!" Hikari exclaimed. "Besides, do you really think that Kain will accept his own sister as his bride!? That's clearly incest!"

"If that's the case," Saya said. "Wouldn't that make you in the same position as I'm in then, Hikari?"

"Wha-I I'm his cousin!" Hikari rebutted. "So that makes it more acceptable than you!"

"Oh really?" Saya asked. "From the way I see it, we're both on equal grounds here. Only I have a better chance because he likes me more than you."

"That's not true!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Are you sure about that?" Saya taunted. "His mere cousin or his flesh and blood little sister. Who do you think he's going to like more?"

Hikari looked a little vexatious, as she was right.

"Forget who he likes more," Mary said. "You two are automatically out of the league then!"

"What!?" they yelled.

"Do you really think that Kain's gonna want to _pound_ his own family!?" Mary rebutted, leading to Alicia smacking her in the head.

"What're you doing saying something lewd like that in public!?" Alicia scolded.

"But it's the truth!" Mary yelled. "Forget being perverted, he's a damn blockhead!"

Alicia only sighed as the three bickered about who will become Kain's future bride. She only stared out the window and saw Kain talking to Iris.

* * *

"So you have a brother, as well?" Iris asked.

"Yeah," Kain said. "Akira. No one really knows what happened to him..."

"He came here?"

"That's all we can actually infer..." Kain said. "From what the others told me, his presence is here..."

"So how do you plan to find him?" Iris asked.

"Well, the only option we have is a wild goose chase..." Kain said. "That, or we hunt down Envy. He probably has some answers."

"Envy..." Iris said. "...Just what kind of villain is he?"

"...All we know..." Kain said. "Is that he shouldn't be underestimated. He was able to recreate the Black Beast. Who knows what he can do with the right resources."

Iris looked nervous.

"Can we even beat someone like that?" she asked.

As Iris looked worried, Kain rubbed her head.

"Don't worry," Kain said. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Do not underestimate your enemy, boy," a dark voice interrupted them.

They turned to see Hakumen and Valkenhayn.

"Hakumen!?" Kain yelled. "What the hell do you want!?"

"Now now, calm down, Kain," Valkenhayn assured him. "Hakumen is a friend."

"I find that hard to believe!" Kain yelled. "In case you didn't know, he tried to kill us!"

"I only wanted to test your strength," Hakumen said. "To see if you truly weren't just a plague to humanity."

"There's a limit to 'testing' you know!" Kain rebutted.

"Now, now," Valkenhayn said. "Hakumen only meant to test your strengths."

Kain groaned, as he glared at Hakumen.

"Boy," Hakumen said. "What is the future to behold?"

"...It's really nothing that great..." Kain said.

"Is that so?" Hakumen asked.

"Well it's at least better than now," Kains replied. "But there's still society to deal with. Everyone's scared of us for having the Azure."

Kain looked up to the sky.

"The only way that you gain their respect," Kain went on. "Is when you save their asses from getting killed. That just goes to show you."

"Shows us what?" Hakumen asked.

"...'Humans'..." Kain said. "Are all just cowards."

Hakumen said nothing as Kain looked back at him.

"But..." Kain said. "I know that all humans aren't the same. There are those who'll cast their own fears aside to help us out when we need it. So I believe that humans can change."

"How are you so sure that they can do this?" Hakumen asked. "As far as you know, all humans aren't willing to accept change."

"Maybe," Kain said. "But at least I know a few who do."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," Kain said. "Because of them, I was able to get out of my despair. I was able to believe in them again."

Kain smiled to himself as he looked off to the distance.

"Kain..." Iris said.

"...So you slayed the Black Beast?" Hakumen asked.

"...Yeah..." Kain said. "So...?"

"Hmph...To think a Black Beast will slay another Black Beast..." Hakumen said. "Interesting, Boy of the Azure..."

"...Your point?"

"...You returned to your full potential," Hakumen said. "Have you not?"

"...It may take a while to get used to, but yeah..." Kain said suspiciously.

Hakumen took out his sword.

"Interesting..." Hakumen said. "Fight me. And show me your true potential."

"Hakumen!?" Valkenhayn exclaimed.

"What're you doing?" Iris exclaimed.

"Tch...Bloodthirsty bastard..." Kain said as he took out his sword. "Fine...I always wanted to fight you one on one, 'original'."

"Let's see..." Hakumen said. "If you 'humans' are willing to accept change!"

As they were about to clash blades, a distortion suddenly stopped them.

"Wha-!?" Kain exclaimed.

"What is this!?" Hakumen yelled.

They looked around to see a huge distortion surround them. It blocked the view of the entire castle and the moon that shined over them.

"What it this thing!?" Iris exclaimed.

Kain suddenly shot at the distortion, but it only absorbed the attack.

"Tch! No escape, eh..." Kain said. "Who the hell...?"

"Isn't this interesting..."

They turned to the voice, where suddenly a puppet shot out of nowhere and assaulted Kain. Its claw collided with his blade.

"What the hell!?" Kain yelled after taking a close look at the puppet. "Nirvana!? No this is...!?"

"Ignis...return..."

The puppet suddenly fled from Kain and returned to the side of its master. From out of the shadows, a man wearing a mask and shared a similar appearance to Carl, and a masked jester like man made their entrance.

"!? Relius Clover!?" Hakumen yelled.

"That's the 'Mad Puppeteer'!?" Iris exclaimed. "Wait...who's...!?"

Kain suddenly pointed his rifle at the jester with a wrathful expression.

"Envy...!" he yelled.

* * *

"My, hasn't it been a while, Kain," Envy said with a jovial tone. "I see you're doing well."

"You...! How did you get in here!?" Valkenhayn yelled.

"Well this place was a bit hard to find," Envy said. "But I was able to track it down. I am a genius, aren't I?"

"Cut the crap!" Kain yelled. "Why the hell are you here!?"

"Why to congratulate you of course," Envy said. "I hear you regained your memories, right? Kain B Vermillion?"

"How do you know!?"

"Well, that stunt the 'Shadow Priestess' pulled really can't go unnoticed..." Envy said. "Too bad...you only sped the process..."

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Kain yelled. "Gah! Enough of this! Where's Akira!?"

"Akira?" Envy asked.

"Yeah, my brother!" Kain yelled. "He has the Azure too...so you would be able to find some use for him...so where is he!?"

"I don't know..." Envy said half-heartedly. "Why should I be the zookeeper anyway?"

"Zookeeper?" Kain asked.

"Oh, you don't get it?" Envy asked mockingly. "Zookeeper? Because you siblings are 'animals'? Really, I find this joke funny..."

"What the hell did you just call us?"

"? You didn't hear me?" Envy asked. "I called you 'animals'. What? I find it fitting...three brats who only have power that is only capable of destroying things...no wonder society called you animals and shunned you. Oh wait..."

Envy motioned as if he was laughing.

"Was it 'monsters'?" Envy asked.

Unable to take it, Kain suddenly struck at Envy with his sword, who only blocked it with his hand.

"...enough of your shit..." Kain said. "I'm only going to ask this once...do you have Akira?"

"...I wonder...do I?" Envy asked.

Kain was in no mood for his mockery, as he pressed his blade against his shield harder.

"It's a joke," Envy said. "Don't worry your pretty little head...I have him in a nice and safe place...he is a valuable asset...I wouldn't just throw him away."

"Where is he?"

"Do you honestly think I'll tell you?"

"Then I'll just beat the crap out of you," Kain said. "And make you tell me where he is!"

* * *

Envy pushed Kain back, as the others rushed in to help him.

"Kain!" Iris exclaimed.

"Whoa, whoa," Envy said. "Even I can't handle four people at once. Colonel?"

At his command, Ignis suddenly struck at Valkenhayn and Iris.

"Kya!" she yelped.

"Iris!" Kain yelled.

He tried to go after her, but Envy stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't you have a score to settle?" Envy asked. "Who's more important? A girl or your brother?"

"You bastard!" Kain muttered.

As Envy was about to make a move, Hakumen intervened with his sword.

"!? Hakumen!?" Kain yelled.

"Tch...Just my luck..." Envy said. "Very well then...I'll be your opponent."

As Envy got back, Kain suddenly charged at him.

"You're mine!" Kain yelled as he raised his sword.

"You did say earlier," Envy said. "That you'll 'beat the crap out of me and make me tell you' where Akira is, right?"

Envy held out his hand and made a thumb down sign, where Kain suddenly dropped to the ground like a heavy stone.

"What the-!?" Kain gagged.

"Don't be ridiculous," Envy said. "You're going to have to go at me with killing intent to survive."

As Kain struggled to get back up, Envy only lowered his hand and forced Kain to the ground.

"Gah!" Kain gagged.

"Zuei!"

Hakumen suddenly slashed at Envy, making him release his trance from Kain. He rolled back and regrouped with Hakumen.

"Thanks..." Kain said.

"Don't let your guard down," Hakumen only said. "This man...he is a far greater evil than I have ever felt before."

"Is that so?" Envy asked. "Well I should feel flattered, should I?"

As Envy lifted his hand, both Kain and Hakumen floated to the air, struggling to break free.

"What is this!?" Hakumen yelled.

"I wonder what it is..." Envy said mockingly.

"Quit screwing around!" Kain yelled.

With a violent swing, he managed to break free with his sword.

"What!?" Envy exclaimed.

Kain then charged at Envy, but Envy managed to stop him with his trance, but it wasn't working as well as it did before.

"Right...the Theios Anima Arma..." Envy said. "That thing had the power to nullify Ars Magus, if I recalled."

"Too bad, huh!?" Kain yelled as he powered through.

"But," Envy said. "Don't think that this is my only tool."

Envy backed flipped and kicked Kain at the chin, then flipped back and charged energy at his hand.

"Psycho Stream!"

From his hand, shot out six needles of energy that struck at Kain. Kain only shot down the needles with his own rifle, then aimed at Envy with max energy.

"Dread Rifle!"

Kain blasted at Envy, but Envy dodged it, then ran at him. He created a sword from his energy and clashed at Kain. His swordsmanship was just as good as Kain's, leaving no room for error.

"Damn it..." Kain said. "As expected, I guess..."

"Come now," Envy said. "I only just begun."

From behind Kain, Hakumen stabbed Envy with his long sword, but Envy caught it with his hand, giving Kain the chance to shoot him in the gut.

"Guh!"

Envy backed off, where Kain and Hakumen regrouped.

"He was able to stop your attack with just one hand?" Kain said.

"What is this man?" Hakumen asked.

"Oh, come now," Envy taunted. "Is that it? Surely the Six Heroes from the past and future can do much more than this."

"Oh now you're asking for it!" Kain yelled angrily as he charged at Envy once more. He was ready to take on any attack, but Kain jumped over him, revealing Hakumen charging at Envy.

"What!?" Envy yelled as his mask flashed a little.

"Remnant!"

Hakumen slashed at Envy overhead, then swept him off his feet with a follow-up sweeping slash, where Kain aimed his rifle at Envy from the air.

"BLOODY RAIN!"

Kain shot a storm of energy bullets at Envy, then lit his foot on fire.

"HELLBOUND!"

Kain unleashed his fire at Envy, but as it hit him, Envy suddenly exploded, getting Hakumen wrapped up in the explosion.

"Guah!" he yelled.

"What the!?" Kain yelled.

"Hypno Feint."

Kain looked up and saw Envy above him, as he smashed his heel on Kain, punishing him to the ground while knocking into Hakumen.

"Kiss the ground!" Envy boomed as he pointed his thumbs downwards, forcing the two to the ground in his trance.

* * *

"Kain!" Iris yelled.

"Miss Iris!" Vallenhayn exclaimed.

He grabbed Iris and got her out of the way from Ignis' attack.

"Where do you think you're going, Fraulein?" Relius asked. "You shall have to deal with me."

"I-I'm sorry..." Iris said.

"I understand that you are worried for Kain," Valkenhayn said. "But you must focus on the enemy at hand!"

"Hmph, you're too soft, Valkenhayn," Relius said.

Valkenhayn glared at Relius and Ignis.

"Leave the girl out of this, Relius!" Valkenhayn yelled.

"Oh, so harsh," Relius said. "I thought we were friends."

"You are not my friend any longer!"

"So I 'used' to be your friend," Relius said. "How touching."

Valkenhayn growled at him, while letting Iris back down.

"Mr. Valkenhayn..." Iris said.

"You must be careful, Miss Iris," Valkenhayn said. "This man must not be underestimated."

"I know..." Iris said.

"Id Lauger."

Relius summoned a huge mechanical hand that shot Valkenhayn up to the air, where Ignis appeared from above and struck down like a drill.

"Naias."

Valkenhayn managed to guard himself until he slammed to the ground, where Ignis suddenly returned to its master as Relius dashed towards Valkenhayn.

"Schwartz Jagd!"

Valkenhayn went for a low sweeping kick with his legs transformed into wolf legs, but Relius saw that coming.

"Led Ley."

Relius spun around, dodging Valkenhayn's kick, while leading the werewolf into Ignis' attack.

"Val Lanto."

Ignis turned into a chainsaw and rushed at Valkenhayn.

"Guah!" he yelled.

Valkenhayn got back, raring for his next move.

"Nacht Rosen!"

Valkenhayn rushed at Relius and launched him up. He then jumped to follow him, where Relius summoned Ignis and had it slash downwards. Valkenhayn dodged its attack in midair and proceeded with his pursuit.

"Mondlicht!"

Valkenhayn unleashed an aerial spin kick, sending Relius away. As Relius was about to crash, Ignis reappeared and caught its master.

"Hmph, is that it?" Relius asked.

"Shine Blaster!"

An immense light suddenly shot from nowhere, getting Relius in the gut.

"Guagh!?" he moaned, as Ignis disappeared.

He looked to see Iris with her Aegis.

"Well, well," Relius said. "That was rather impressive, Fraulein."

"You should be careful, Colonel," Envy called out as he was restraining Kain and Hakumen. "That shield is a Theios Anima Arma! And a strong one at that!"

"You don't say..." Relius said. He stared at the girl. "...Interesting..."

Relius snapped his fingers, where Ignis reappeared.

"Play with the girl, Ignis," Relius commanded. "Val Tus."

At his command, Ignis suddenly rushed to Iris and struck at her, but Iris blocked it with her shield. Ignis couldn't move from the power of the Aegis.

"Interesting..." Relius said. "It seems that the shield has an attribute that nullifies a concentrated amount of Ars Magus. An impressive and effective shield, given today's society."

Relius snapped his fingers again, where Ignis disappeared from Iris.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Fraulein. What is your name?" Relius asked.

"...Iris..." she answered cautiously. "Iris Esperanto..."

"Hm...Iris Esperanto..." Relius said. "As I recall...the flower meaning for 'Iris' is 'faith', 'hope', 'courage', 'admiration'... all seems to fit you well. Coincidentally, your last name 'Esperanto' means 'one who hopes'."

"So?" Iris asked.

"So are you a pillar of 'hope'?" Relius asked. "...Iris Esperanto...you have peeked my interest. Now then...shall we begin?"

Ignis was once again summoned and attacked Iris. Once again, she defended herself.

"That won't work!" Iris exclaimed.

"So you have confidence in your front," Relius said. "But..."

Ignis suddenly disappeared from Iris.

"Huh?" she asked. "Where did it–?"

"Val Lyra."

Ignis reappeared behind Iris and sliced her from behind.

"Kyaa!" Iris cried.

"You are wide open from behind," Relius said. "Geara Rugia!"

Relius created a round blade from under Iris, stabbing her as she fell to the ground.

"Kh!" Iris muttered as she got back up, but Ignis was already hovering above her.

"Geara Nose."

Ignis struck down upon her, where Iris managed to shield herself from the attack, but now she was wide open for a frontal attack, which Relius noticed.

"Gad Lais."

Relius shot out a mantis like claw that sprung out to Iris, then slashed in, bringing her towards Relius.

"REQ VINUM."

Relius created a filed under Iris, where various cogs and springs shot up, striking her from under.

"Kyaaaa!" she cried.

"Iris!" Kain yelled as he tried to lift his sword, but Envy applied more force, making it impossible.

"You may have a great power," Relius said. "But you seem to be rather new to the carnage field."

As Relius was about to make his next move, a wolf suddenly struck at him at great speed. Relius managed to see this coming, and dodged the strike at the last minute.

"So you decided to utilize speed over power," Relius said. "Eh? Valkenhayn?"

* * *

The wolf stopped and growled at Relius. It then dashed and attacked Relius, launching him into the air, where Valkenhayn proceeded to slaughter him with his fangs and finally went for a steep dive, punishing the puppeteer to the ground. As Valkenhayn got back onto the ground, Ignis suddenly shot out and slashed him. Valkenhayn managed to dodge it and transformed back into his human form, as Relius got back up.

"Well, looks like you still have some bite in you," Relius said.

"Quiet you!" Valkenhayn shot back.

"Now, now there 'old friend'," Relius said. "No need to get so hostile there. Now if you would excuse me."

Relius turned to Iris.

"You have a rather wonderful soul," Relius said. "A soul worth experimenting on."

"W-What!?" Iris exclaimed, shivering a little.

"Yes, at first it seems unstable," Relius said. "But given closer examination, it is in fact highly focused, even if it is only on one goal. Although it does lack compared to that other soul I encountered, this soul can fairly rival it. No matter what the surroundings throw at it, her soul will stay true to the one path she chooses. Fascinating."

"How long do you plan to flirt with the enemy?" Envy asked. "She's not the target anyway."

"Silence," Relius said. "You do not seem to understand the beauty of the soul."

Relius suddenly appeared right in front of Iris, catching her off guard.

"Now then..." Relius said. "Let us examine your soul. The data could prove useful."

He placed his hand over Iris, as a strange light started to emit from it.

"What're you doing!?" Kain yelled.

"My god," Envy said. "You really don't know the term 'personal privacy', do you?"

Iris looked as if she was about to break down.

"Iris Esperanto," Relius said. "What is it that you care for the most?"

_What...what're you talking about?_

_...Kain...mom...dad..._

"Ah, your parents," Relius said. "A family bond...you seem to treasure that very highly. The boy is also brought up to the subject...is this what they call, 'love'?"

"What...are you...?" Iris asked, her voice breaking.

"? What's this?" Relius asked. "...Fear? Yearning? Acceptance? I see...you are insecure of yourself..."

_What...!?_

"You hate your parents?" Relius asked. "No wait...it's the opposite...you believe your parents hate you?"

"Wha...!?" she asked.

"Relius!" Valkenhayn growled. But as he was going to stop him, Ignis got in his way. "Kh!"

"I see..." Relius went on. "You wanted to live up to your parent's expectations of glory as a child, yet you never produce any good results, disappointing them as a child..."

Iris suddenly twitched.

"Stop..." Iris murmured.

"So you strived to become a high-ranking officer in the NOL," Relius said. "So that you could live up to your parent's expectations and make them proud. How noble...but..."

"Stop...!" Iris exclaimed.

"No matter how hard you tried," Relius went on. "You never managed to compete with the top. Although you did manage to have an early graduation, you ended up as a Lieutenant in the Zero Squadron. A squadron not even considered officially part of the NOL. How tragic."

"Stop it!" Iris screamed.

"!? Stop it!" Kain yelled. "Let her go!"

"Please be quiet," Envy said as he slammed his foot on Kain's head.

"You...bastard..." Kain muttered.

"You're not human!" Hakumen yelled.

"Well, I can sympathize with you..." Envy said. "Hey, I don't like watching this anymore than you do...personally I find this rather 'creepy' for my taste..."

"You fear that your parents-no...no one," Relius deduced. "Shall accept you for not being 'good enough'...that fear and paranoia are eating away from your conscience for quite some time..."

"Please stop it!" Iris yelled.

"Iris..." Kain said, not being able to believe that she had such a dark fear.

"? You didn't notice?" Relius asked. "Then she must have done a rather splendid job at hiding the truth. She probably doesn't want to see them again, just to escape the fear."

"You're wrong!" Kain shot back. "She said she wanted to meet them again!"

"Is that so?" Relius asked. "...Ah, I see...you only want to meet them to prove that you are stronger than them."

"What!?" Kain yelled.

"Please, stop it!" Iris pleaded.

"You want to prove yourself," Relius said. "You want to show them that you have become 'strong'. That you have become 'good enough' like them. Even if you have become a 'fugitive'."

Iris was about to collapse until she managed to see Kain being forced to the ground.

"K-Kain...?" Iris asked.

"Iris! Don't listen to him!" Kain yelled.

"Your logic is true, Iris," Relius said. "The world is 'survival of the fittest'. If you are not 'strong', then you shall never survive the harsh reality. Nay, you will only act as a burden to others. Even if you have power, if you cannot use it properly, then you may as well not have it at all."

"I-I-I..." Iris said weakly. "I'll...do better...yeah...I'll be stronger...and I'll be more useful...so..."

Her eyes were practically soulless and ready to cry. She was demoralized. As Kain looked mortified, Iris fell to her knees, breaking down.

"Don't...hate me..." Iris murmured. "Mom...Dad...Kain...Iris is a good girl...so...don't hate...me..."

Completely devastated by Iris' state, Kain furiously glared at Relius.

"Relius..." Kain muttered with increasing anger. "Clover!"

The pauldron on his left gauntlet opened up and black energy wrapped around Kain, forming his Black Beast armor.

"Crap!" Envy muttered. The sudden change caught him off guard, releasing Beast Kain and Hakumen from the trance. "But...this makes the job easier...no, this is just lucky!"

As Envy tried to recapture them, a sudden sharp pain spread in his chest.

"Wha-!?" Envy yelped as he tried to withstand the pain. "Damn it...not now!"

"Hakumen! Deal with Envy!" Beast Kain yelled.

"Understood!" Hakumen exclaimed as he faced Envy.

"Tch...Here he comes, Colonel!" Envy called out.

Releasing a blood-curdling cry, Beast Kain charged at Relius. Ignis suddenly retreated from Valkenhayn to protect its master.

"Out of my way, junk!" Beast Kain screamed as he slammed Ignis away. "Relius Clover! Your life is forfeit!"

* * *

Outside of the battle and in the castle, Ragna and Noel were wandering the castle.

"Damn it...Saya!?" Ragna yelled. "Where the hell did she go?"

"Saya!" Noel called.

They tried to look for her, but the castle was huge. They got lost instantly.

"Damn it..." Ragna muttered. "How come rich people have to have these unnecessarily huge mansions?"

"She had a rather dangerous look on her face..." Noel said, recalling Saya's expression of pure rage and insanity when she left the room. "I wonder if...?"

"C'mon," Ragna said, trying to relieve Noel from any possible outcomes that she was imagining.

As they headed forward, they saw up ahead Azrael, who was wandering around the castle.

"Tch...This is boring..." he muttered. "Just when Kain is back in top shape, I can't find him anywhere. None of the others are around because of this damn 'time-slip future parent-child' crap."

Azrael looked up ahead and saw Ragna and Noel.

"!? The Grim Reaper!?" Azrael exclaimed.

"Tch! The Mad Dog..." Ragna muttered.

"Azrael?" Noel asked. "What're you doing?"

"This place is practically crawling with strong prey," Azrael mumbled. "Vigilantes, war heroes, the Six Heroes from both the past and future...hell, even you're here. I was hoping that I could find someone to fight."

"I wouldn't fight here," Ragna advised. "Trashing the rabbit's castle is gonna piss off both her and the old geezer."

"So?" Azrael asked. "What're you two doing?"

"We're looking for Kain and Saya..." Noel said. "Have you happen to seen them?"

"Heh! I wish," Azrael scoffed. "Then there would be some good entertainment."

They all decided to look for them together, seeing that traveling together may be more useful.

"Hey, wasn't Kain your son from the future or something?" Azrael asked.

"Apparently," Ragna answered.

"Hm...no wonder the kid's strong," Azrael said.

As they walked around, they saw the four girls **still **bickering at each other up ahead.

"What the?" Azrael asked.

"What're they doing?" Noel asked.

As they went to see what the fuss was about, Ragna looked outside and saw a huge distortion.

"What the hell!?" Ragna said. "What is that!?"

The other two looked at Ragna confused, and then looked out the window themselves.

"What the!?" Azrael yelled.

"What in the world!?" Noel exclaimed.

"Like I said!" Saya yelled. "He will be interested in us, as long as we go along with this plan!"

"B-But..." Hikari said. "Although this is tempting...do you think he would actually fall for that?"

"We're just gonna have to risk it!" Mary exclaimed.

"Seriously?" Alicia asked.

"Yeah!" Saya yelled. "All we gotta do is...!"

"Hey! Runts!" Ragna yelled.

They shifted their attentions from their plan to the adults.

"What's wrong, everyone?" Hikari asked.

"Didn't you see the weird shit outside!?" Azrael exclaimed.

Confused, they looked outside, and saw to their surprise, a large dome of distortion.

"What the hell!?" Mary yelled.

"What is that!?" Hikari yelled.

* * *

They all quickly ran to the garden and faced the distortion.

"What immense power..." Alicia said.

"Hey, how come no one else is noticing this?" Azrael asked.

"Maybe they can't see it," Mary said.

"How the hell're they gonna miss something this huge!?" Azrael yelled.

Azrael punched the distortion, but the distortion only made his fist fling back.

"Gah! This shit's hard!" Azrael yelled.

"Maybe..." Alicia said. "We're all under special circumstances..."

"What?" Saya asked.

Alicia turned to Saya. Her chest started to glow.

"Your Azure..." Alicia said. "It's resonating!"

"Wha-!?" Saya yelled.

"So it's Saya's special Azure," Hikari said. "That's giving us the ability to see this?"

"Most likely..." Alicia said. "But why is it resonating? The only way for Saya to have this kind of reaction was if Kain were to reawaken as the Black Beast, now that he regained his memories...unless!"

She looked at the dome.

"Kain's in there!" Alicia yelled.

Without warning, Ragna and Azrael charged at the distortion.

"CARNAGE SCISSORS!"

"BLACKHAWK STINGER!"

They smashed into the distortion, but no luck. Ragna's blade bounced back while Azrael's fist only stung from the rebound that it had against the distortion.

"Tch! How do we break this thing!?" Azrael yelled.

"I'm sure that this distortion," Alicia said. "Was designed so that attacks couldn't break it..."

"Then how do we get in!?" Saya yelled.

Alicia looked worried as they gazed at the distortion.

"Kain..." Noel said.

* * *

Beast Kain charged at Relius with his sword.

"Agony Throttle!"

The sword drove at Relius, striking him into the wall, until Ignis reappeared and rammed into Beast Kain, saving its master.

"Kh! Get off of me!" Beast Kain yelled as he tried to slash down Ignis, but Ignis only defended herself as Relius got back up.

"So this is your form as the Black Beast..." Relius said. "How nostalgic...the Black Beast...how interesting this should be..."

Relius snapped his fingers, where Ignis started to assault Beast Kain.

"Tch!" he muttered. He aimed his sword at Ignis.

"Greed Buster!"

Beast Kain started to shoot Ignis, but Ignis started to evade all the hits.

"Damn it!" he muttered as he tried to pursue Ignis, but Relius appeared from behind.

"Id Lauger."

Relius launched a huge mechanical cog from behind, sending Beast Kain flying.

"Why you little...!" Beast Kain yelled as he floated in midair.

"Naias."

From above, Beast Kain was nailed by Ignis' drill attack. He managed to block it, but he was punished to the ground. From the smoke, Beast Kain grabbed Ignis' leg and flung him at Relius. He then proceeded to drive his sword into the ground.

"DEAD FLARE ABYSS!"

Several pillars of dark flames shot out of the ground, but Ignis carried Relius and avoided all the attacks.

_Persistent asshole..._

"Hmph...Is that it? Black Beast?" Relius asked. "Show me more of that power..."

Beast Kain dove down like a rocket at Relius.

"Shuttle Pain!"

"Led Ley."

As Beast Kain dove down, Relius spun around, avoiding the attack, but Beast Kain grabbed Relius' arm at the last second and flew back up.

"What!?" he yelled.

"You wanna see my power?" Beast Kain yelled. "Then here!"

He flung Relius into the air, and grabbed him with his jaw. He tehn proceeded to shoot Relius at zero distance, where Ignis showed up from behind and tried to save its master. Beast Kain only slammed Relius at Ignis, where the two fell to the ground. As they were about to reach the ground, Beast Kain quickly descended down and charged his sword.

"PREDATOR STRIDE!"

He charged at the two with a strong forward slash, slicing the two. As they fell, Beast Kain went to Iris' side.

"Iris! Hey, Iris!" Beast Kain exclaimed. "Get a hold of yourself!"

"I...I..." Iris murmured.

"Tch! She's lost it!" Beast Kain said. "For now...I gotta get her out of–!"

"Val Lanto."

Before he could finish his statement, Ignis charged from behind like a chainsaw, striking Beast Kain from the back.

"Gah!" he yelled as he let go of Iris.

He turned to Relius, who got back up with Ignis.

"You bastards!" Beast Kain yelled, panting.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hakumen was assaulting Envy. Their swords clashed at each other as Envy was starting to get pushed back.

"Well...I guess the weight's different..." Envy muttered as he backed off.

"Envy, was it?" Hakumen said. "...What is your goal?"

"Why should I tell you?" Envy asked.

"If you value your life," Hakumen threatened as he pointed his sword at Envy. "Then you shall tell me!"

"Oh please," Envy said. "Even if I tell you or not, you're just going to try and kill me, so no thank you."

"Then you shall die!" Hakumen yelled as he charged at Envy.

Envy only lifted his hand, this time in an open palm position, and stopped Hakumen in a trance.

"What!?" he yelled.

"Do you think," Envy asked. "That my powers are only limited to high gravity and forced pressure?"

"Kh!" Hakumen grunted as he tried to break free.

Envy lifted him up into the air and started to choke him.

"Guogh...!" Hakumen yelped as he tried to gasp for air.

"Now then..." Envy said. "How shall I deal with you?"

As Envy was about to tighten his grip, Valkenhayn suddenly rammed Envy, letting Hakumen go.

"Tch!" Envy yelled as he backed off.

"Kh...Valkenhayn..." Hakumen said.

"Are you alright, Hakumen?" Valkenhayn asked. "Do not face this one on your own."

"Hmph...Don't tell me what to do..." Hakumen said.

"Do not let your pride get to you," Valkenhayn warned him. "This Envy...he is not one to be trifled with. He can easily rival us."

"Why thank you for the compliment," Envy said. "You don't get that kind of reward every day, y'know."

"Silence!" the two veterans yelled. Hakumen lifted his sword up high, charging energy.

"EMPTY SKY FORM..."

Meanwhile, Valkenhayn rushed in front of Envy.

"KONIG FLUG!"

Valkenhayn turned his head into a werewolf head and bit Envy, leading to a series of barrages with his werewolf parts, eventually grabbing Envy and flinging him at Hakumen.

"SUMMER"S ADVANCE!"

Hakumen strongly slammed his sword at Envy, punishing him to the ground.

"Did that do it?" Valkenhayn asked.

"Not quite..." Envy's voice said.

Valkenhayn turned to see Envy behind him, as he moved forward and stabbed Valkenhayn with his energy sword.

"DEMISE..."

"Guagh!" Valkenhayn gagged.

As he flinched from the sword, Envy charged energy to his foot and slammed and drove the sword, along with Valkenhayn to the wall.

"JUGGERNAUT!"

Valkenhayn fell to the ground, leaving Hakumen enraged.

"You fiend!" Hakumen yelled as he charged at Envy.

"GYRO MUTILATION!"

Envy made a huge trance, binding Hakumen in a gyroscope like trance. Envy then charged energy to his hands and start to shoot the energy from his hands like a gun at Hakumen all over his body. The force from each blast was strong enough to rip a part of his body off, but the bind was holding him in place.

"This must really hurt, doesn't it!" Envy boomed triumphantly as he used the remaining energy and shot Hakumen in the head. The force from the last shot caused the trance to break, sending Hakumen away.

"The past is sure full of useless 'trash'..." Envy said as the two fell to the ground.

* * *

"!? Hakumen! Valkenhayn!" Beast Kain yelled.

As he looked to their way, Ignis was given the opportunity to strike.

"Geara Act."

Ignis threw her own hand like a yo-yo at Beast Kain, striking him by the leg.

"Gah!" Beast Kain muttered.

As he was trying to get the yo-yo off, Relius appeared before him.

"Gad Lais."

Relius summoned a mantis-like claw that struck at Beast Kain, while bringing him towards Relius.

"Tch! But..."

Beast Kain used the opportunity to grab Relius with his claw-like wings.

"Got'cha!" Beast Kain yelled. "DRAGOON SLAUGHTER!"

He formed a large serpentine head with his arms while seven other serpentine heads appeared from behind and struck at Relius. But as Relius was sent away, Ignis made a murderous dash at Beast Kain and stabbed him in the gut.

"Guagh!" he yelped as Ignis lifted him up and smashed him to the ground, giving Relius time to recover.

"Yes...what marvelous and impressive fortitude," Relius commented. "And such great focus and spirit. You were thinking of over twenty ways to counter my moves and ten separate ways to protect Iris and to go to the aid of Hakumen and Valkenhayn, while managing to manipulate my moves... your soul was looking beyond countless paths while focusing on one... Absolutely superb!"

"Don't tell me you go both ways?" Envy asked.

"There is no limit when it comes to the nature of a soul," Relius said. "This boy...he is more than sufficient material for the Detonator!"

"Please stay on task here, Colonel," Envy said. "He should be weak enough for you to capture him."

"I won't let that happen!" Hakumen yelled.

He and Valkenhayn got back up and charged at Envy.

"Oh please," Envy said as he placed his hand on his mask. "Psycho Destruction!"

He released a time-stopping distortion. He then pointed his thumb down, where the two practically crashed into the ground.

"What!?" Valkenhayn muttered.

"The power is stronger than before..." Hakumen muttered. "This is...your Overdrive!?"

"Doesn't matter now," Envy said as he applied more pressure to them, shoving them further to the ground. "It's not like you can do anything about it..."

"...Very well then..." Relius said.

"You bastard..." Beast Kain muttered. "I'm not done yet!"

"...**THE PUPPETEER'S ALTAR!**"

Ignis suddenly appeared in front of Relius as Beast Kain charged at him, grabbed his head and lifted him up, as light shined from the hand, blinding everyone. When it cleared, Beast Kain found himself being hanged by the neck with a rusty chain, while several swords pierced through his entire body and collars with heavy metal balls were restricting his feet and wings, while arms were chained apart, where his right arm was muzzled. In front of him, Relius was sitting in a chair.

"The Black Beast..." he said as he got up from his chair and walked up to him. "Show me the potential of your soul..."

The doors that were open closed, where only Beast Kain's scream could be heard.

* * *

From outside Beast Kain's perspective, the light only shined, and as it faded, Beast Kain was only hanging from Ignis' grasp, defeated and motionless. His armor began to dematerialize and return to his gauntlet, as he reverted back to his human state.

"Kain!" Valkenhayn exclaimed.

They tried to get up, but Envy was keeping them forced to the ground.

"Damn you...!" Hakumen groaned.

"Have you done it?" Envy asked Relius.

"Yes, he's restrained," Relius responded. "I doubt he will move an inch for the next few hours."

"Thank you, Colonel," Envy said. "Although I would have liked him to stay in his Black Beast state, I guess we can manage. Or figure out how to force him into his Black Beast state."

Envy eyed Iris, who might as well be an empty shell of a person.

"Yes...we can use her..." Envy said. "But please, do not do anything to her if we bring her back to the lab. Once I'm done with my procedure, then you're free to experiment on her soul, or whatever."

Relius smirked as Ignis went over and picked up Iris.

"W...Wait...!" Valkenhayn moaned. "Let them go!"

"Hmph...don't push your luck, Valkenhayn," Relius said. "You couldn't even fight me properly with that 'scar'. Not even in a hundred years, can you ever beat me."

"Silence...!" he moaned, the pain was getting to him.

"Besides, you cannot beat me," Relius said. "...because you let that pointless emotion cloud your fighting. You are too wrapped up on this pointless bond with Clavis."

"'Pointless'!?'" Valkenhayn yelled. "That is loyalty! There is nothing pointless about it!"

"You can believe that," Relius said. "But the fact will never change. You can never defeat me like that."

As Valkenhayn tried to stop Relius, Envy smashed his foot on Valkenhayn, shutting him up.

"Honestly...why are people from the past so persistent?" Envy asked. ...well I guess that can't be said about our times..."

Envy looked at the two that Ignis was carrying.

"Now then..." Envy said. "Let us head back. We need to get things ready for the procedure."

As Relius and Ignis went to him, Envy was ready to teleport them back. He looked to the two who were restrained to the ground.

"You people cannot stop me," Envy said.

"You bastard..." Hakumen said. "...who are you...?"

"...I am Envy," he responded. "Just a 'sin' manifested from one's pure darkness."

With that, Envy snapped his fingers, teleporting Relius, Ignis, Kain and Iris away. The distortion that surrounded the two cleared up, as the moonlight shined down on the two injured veterans.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** Wow, isn't Envy one hell of a strong troll. Honestly, I didn't know how to describe Relius' astral exactly, so I made it as an illusion that only the opponent could see. And boy, wasn't it a gruesome one. Speaking of Relius, not only did he do 'horrible' things to Makoto in her bad end, but now he did the same 'horrible' things to Iris. That bastard may be a cool villain, but he deserves to die. And yes, I' going to be using a character we know next to nothing about. Let's hope Kagura is a good guy, or else I'm going to have to rewrite this chapter...

And finally, Envy reveals his drive/overdrive:

Envy

Drive: Psycho Kinetic: Envy can control the movement of the enemy that is in range. This ranges from strangling the opponent, dragging or pushing them away, spinning them, and forcing them to the ground.

Overdrive: Psycho Destruction: All of his drive moves and anything that involve his drive will become stronger and increase in range.

Until next time, and please R&R!


	19. Chapter 19: Instability

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 19: Instability**

* * *

**AN****:** Chapter 19 is here! I'm just gonna warn you, this is going to be a bit gruesome and sad, and tensions start to rise.

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

* * *

The distortion finally cleared, as everyone rushed in. What they saw was Valkenhayn and Hakumen beaten badly.

"What the hell!?" Mary yelled.

"What happened?" Hikari asked.

They rushed over to the veterans and helped them up.

"Yo, what happened!?" Ragna asked Valkenhayn.

"Gh...Envy...and Relius Clover...attacked us..." he answered.

"Envy!?" the girls yelled.

"Relius Clover...!?" Noel asked. "What was he doing here...!?"

Saya suddenly grabbed Valkenhayn by the collar.

"Where's Brother...!?" Saya demanded. Her eyes were intent on killing him. "Answer me!"

Valkenhayn looked rather guilty. He couldn't answer.

"Relius Clover..." Hakumen answered. "...Kidnapped him, along with Iris Esperanto."

"What!?" they yelled.

Valkenhayn pounded his fist to the ground.

"Damn it!" Valkenhayn yelled frustrated. "I can't believe that I let him take those children away!"

"Valkenhayn..." Alicia said.

"!? Madam Alicia...!" Valkenhayn said with shame. "I am terribly sorry. Because of my errors, I have let your friends fall into the hands of Relius Clover...!"

As Valkenhayn bowed down, Alicia had a rather surprised look on her face. She felt complete rage towards the person who took Kain, but felt sorrow for the elderly butler. He tried his best, yet he failed his master.

"It's okay, Valkenhayn," Alicia said, trying to hide both emotions. "You aren't at fault here."

"Madam Alicia..." Valkenhayn said.

"For now," Alicia said. "We need everyone to gather here. The situation has become quite grim."

As Alicia and the others went to inform everyone, Saya glared at the two.

"She might say that," Saya said. "But in reality, it's your fault. You're the Six Heroes, and yet you couldn't even protect them!?"

Ragna stopped Saya.

"Yo, cool it," Ragna said. "We need to figure out what we're gonna do now..."

"How can you be calm at a time like this!?" Saya yelled.

"Only bitching about it won't solve anything," Ragna said. "For now, we need to figure out what we need to do."

"But..!" Saya protested.

"Do you really think that you could bring them back!?" Ragna yelled, shutting Saya up. "This Envy freak was able to take on all four of them! And he had Relius and probably Terumi with him! There's no way you can possibly beat all of them even with your Azure!"

"Bu-!" Saya continued to protest.

"Just listen to me, you idiot!" Ragna yelled, making even Saya scared.

"Y-Yes..." Saya stammered scared. She followed the group, where Ragna looked up at the moon.

"Tch!" he muttered. "Damn it...this is all just bull..."

* * *

_Guh...wh...where am I?_

_God...my head hurts..._

_More like...my body hurts..._

_What...what the hell happened?_

_Wait...where's Iris!?_

* * *

Kain struggled to open his eyes. When he came to, he found himself in a dark lab of some sort.

"Wha...?" Kain asked.

As he looked around, he saw the lab was stained with blood.

"!?"

With a closer look, there were countless dangling corpses under the lighting. The tables near him were stacked with sharp objects and tools, as there were several books and papers scattered and stained in the blood. Kain tried to free himself, but he found himself bound to a magic circle with chains around his ankles and wrists along with his neck.

"Gah! What the!?" Kain yelled.

"Hey there," a voice said. "You finally awake?"

Kain managed to lift his head without choking himself to find Envy watching him in a chair.

"Envy...!" Kain growled before choking a little.

"Now, clam down there," Envy said. "You're safe for now."

"Where am I!?" Kain demanded.

"You're in Relius' lab in NOL Headquarters," Envy explained. "Where Relius is going to be taking a part in my experiment on you."

"Experiment?" Kain asked.

"Oh, you'll find out once Relius gets here," Envy said. "Initially I was going to start now, but Relius insisted on watching. But he's scolding Hazama for destroying a regeneration tank for some doll while we were gone."

"What're you talking about?" Kain asked.

"Oh nothing," Envy said. "Now then. Since you're finally awake, we can get started with the preparations."

"Preparations?" Kain asked.

"Yes, now," Envy said. "Would you mind if you turn into your Black Beast form?"

"Wha-!? Black Beast!?" Kain yelled.

"Yes, Black Beast," Envy responded. "It would be helpful if you deployed it."

"Why the hell do you want that!?" Kain yelled. "Don't tell me...you're trying to revive the Black Beast again!?"

"As expected," Envy said. "You're pretty sharp."

Envy let out a sigh.

"Well last time, I thought I could solely remake one using the knowledge I had on the Black Beast," Envy said. "But boy, wasn't I a fool...the beast itself was incomplete and horrible as a body, and then you and the 'Overlord' just had to ruin everything by damaging its core..."

"So you released it into the world knowing this!?" Kain yelled.

"? Why should I care?" Envy asked. "Once it was out of my hands, then I shouldn't have to worry about it. Let the locals deal with that."

Kain glared at Envy.

"You're insane!" Kain growled.

"'Insane' is such a harsh word..." Envy replied. "I'd like to call myself 'adventurous'."

"So you're going to repeat that tragedy in this era!?" Kain yelled.

"Maybe," Envy said casually.

"Why're you going to do that!?" Kain yelled.

"You don't need to worry about that," Envy said.

"What makes you think that I'll listen to you?" Kain asked. "For all you know, I could just blurt this to Relius when he comes here. Even he wouldn't do something that risky!"

"I see..." Envy said. "So you don't care what happens to her then."

Envy snapped his fingers, where a light shined down upon a captive Iris.

"!? Iris!" Kain yelled.

"Don't worry, I didn't do anything lecherous to her," Envy said. "Unlike that pervert, I'm a gentleman. But..."

Envy captured Iris in his trance and lifted her up.

"I don't mind killing her," Envy said as he tightened his grip, choking her.

"Stop it!" Kain yelled.

"So? What will your answer be?" Envy asked as he tightened his grip even more.

"Fine, I'll do it!" Kain yelled. "So please, let her go!"

Envy seemed to snicker silently.

"I'm sorry what?" Envy asked. "I couldn't hear you."

He tightened his grip.

"Guagh...augh..." Iris gagged.

"Stop it!" Kain yelled desperately as he tried to break free.

"What's the matter!?" Envy taunted. "Don't you want to save her!?"

"STOP IT!" Kain screamed.

"What're you waiting for!?" Envy continued. "If you don't hurry, she'll die! Now hurry Kain!"

Envy tightened his grip even more, barely letting Iris live, or breathe for that matter.

"STOP IT!" Kain shrieked, until his left gauntlet started to open up and wrap black energy around Kain. Soon he was transformed into his Beast form.

"Perfect..." Envy said as he let go of Iris.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the castle, everyone had gathered at the garden.

"What!?" Makoto exclaimed. "Kain and Iris' been kidnapped!?"

"By Father!?" Carl asked angrily.

"Whoa, calm down there, Carl," Amane said.

Alicia nodded.

"This is rather bad new you give me," Rachel said.

"Please do not scold Madam Alicia, Madam Rachel," Vaklkenhayn said. "It was my own folly that led to this grave situation."

Rachel only sipped her tea. The aroma of the Darjeeling tea filled the garden and its heavy mood.

"And worst of all," she went on. "Envy seemed to have teamed up with him."

"Envy!?" Itsuki yelled.

"That bastard!?" Claude yelled. "Why the hell is he with Relius Clover!?"

"Who knows," Burai said. "I mean, they're both practically insane...so I guess they could work together."

"So what do we do?" Tager asked.

They were in a stump. What would they do? They didn't know where to look.

"Well, we know that they're now captured by the NOL," Jin said. "And given the circumstances...along with how valuable they are...I would guess that they're in the NOL main headquarters."

"You mean at the 1st Hierarchical city!?" Makoto asked. "We can't get there in time!"

"Have you been paying attention at all?" Alicia asked. "There are three people who can teleport the entire group here."

"Oh, right..." Makoto said, embarrassed.

"But, even if we knew where they were," Bullet said. "How would we get in? I mean it's not like we can just waltz right in there, can we?"

"Right..." Tager said. "Even if we had our NOL members to infiltrate...I doubt that security won't notice them."

He looked at Jin, Noel and Makoto. The Hero of Ikaruga, and two traitors of the NOL. No one would not notice them. They seemed to not have any other options.

"Damn it..." Ragna muttered.

"Ragna..." Noel said.

"Hey, Good Guy?" Tao asked from behind.

"Huh!? Oh, what?" Ragna asked.

"You're gonna save Spiky-Haired person and Shield Lady, right?" Tao asked innocently.

Ragna looked a little surprised at what Tao called them, but smiled.

"Don't worry your ass," he replied. "We'll get them out of there."

Jubei smiled as Ragna comforted Tao.

"This is all your fault!" Saya yelled suddenly to Hakumen and Valkenhayn.

"What!?" Hakumen growled.

"Saya!" Alicia exclaimed.

"You two are supposed to be the Six Heroes! And you couldn't even protect them!" she yelled angrily.

"Calm down," Alicia said. "The opponent was strong. They were pretty much at the same level as them."

"But...!" Saya pouted.

"She does have a point," Mary said. "Even if they were at the same level, they also had Kain and that Iris chick."

"And how would that make a difference?" Bullet asked.

"They both had their Armas," Hikari responded. "So they could have cancelled out the enemy's Ars Magus."

"They can do that!?" Noel asked.

"That's the power of the future for ya'," Jubei said.

"And furthermore," Saya went on. "You had Brother with you! You pretty much had the Black Beast with you! So how the hell could you lose!?"

"Are you mocking us, girl!?" Hakumen yelled.

"Haku! Calm down!" Jubei exclaimed.

"Now, now, let's just calm down here," Amane said.

"Besides, you people are becoming more and more useless!" Saya yelled.

"What!?" Hakumen growled angrily.

"Calm down!" Alicia told her.

"Are you implying all of us are useless?" Jin asked with anger.

"Father! Don't listen to her!" Itsuki exclaimed.

"She's right!" Mary yelled. "You're all supposed to be 'better' than us! What the hell are you doing!?"

"M-Mary..." Hikari said.

"You think so too, right!?" Mary yelled at Hikari. "All of these old bastards are just pulling our legs!"

"The hell you say, bitch!?" Luna yelled. "No one mocks Master Jubei and gets away with it!"

"Calm down everyone, please," Litchi said.

"Shut it!" Mary yelled. "As I recalled, you used to be with the NOL! We don't need someone who would betray their own allies!"

"Miss Mary," Bang said threateningly. "I suggest you watch what you say."

"And who's gonna stop me, old man!?" Mary yelled.

"Yo! Calm the hell down! All of you!" Burai yelled.

"Aren't you pissed!?" Saya asked him. "Kain's been kidnapped by _him_, and we couldn't even do anything about it!"

"Doesn't mean that we should be arguing about it!" Burai yelled.

"He's right," Itsuki said calmly. "Arguing among ourselves won't solve anything."

As everyone was arguing among themselves, Azrael and Rachel didn't seem to take part in this, while Kokonoe and Claude were adjusting Sieg and Noel seemed to be comfotrign Ragna, who hadn't said anything.

"So, what're we gonna do?" Azrael asked Rachel.

"I wonder..." Rachel said as she drank her Darjeeling tea Valkenhayn prepared. "What shall we do?"

"Hey, Rabbit," Ragna said. "Do you even care about them?"

Rachel looked to see Ragna violently glaring at her, scaring Noel.

"Ragna...?" she asked.

"I wonder if I do..." Rachel said.

The tension continued to rise until finally Saya deployed her Arma.

"Wha!? Saya!?" Alicia exclaimed.

"Then you wanna prove who's stronger!?" she yelled.

"Very well..." Hakumen said as he took out his sword. "I shall teach you to know your place."

Mary and Hikari went to Saya's side, while Jin and Bang went to Hakumen's side.

"Whoa, whoa! Let's not resort to fighting..." Amane said.

"Please calm down!" Carl exclaimed.

"Sir Carl, please stand back," Bang said. "No one shall insult Miss Litchi."

"You little scum..." Jin said. "I'll make you pay for insulting me."

The six glared at each other as they readied their weapons.

"Everyone stop it!" Jubei yelled. "This ain't the time to be fightin' each other!"

As Jubei went to try and stop it, Kidou pushed past him while gripping the handle of his mechanical sword.

"!? Kidou!?" Jubei said.

"Crap! Everyone get to cover!" Burai exclaimed.

Itsuki, Sieg and Alicia made a barrier covering the others. As the six were about to engage each other, Kidou suddenly jumped into the middle of the fight.

"STOP THIS!" Kidou boomed as he took out his mechanical sword and violently slammed it into the ground.

It created a powerful explosion that sent all six fighters flying into the fence around them. The explosion was so powerful, that even with the barriers, it almost swept everyone around them.

"Guh..." Itsuki groaned as he tried to keep the barrier up.

"Holy shit!" Makoto exclaimed.

"What the hell...!?" Ragna yelled.

When the explosion wore off, the field was decimated as Kidou put away his sword. The six who were going to engage in battle were slammed into the fence as they dragged down to the ground. Kidou let out a sigh, as he wiped his hands.

"Now then..." Kidou said with a smile. "Let's all calm down here."

* * *

Beast Kain only looked mortified as he realized that he was in his Beast armor.

"You're thinking, 'why am I in my Black Beast form!?'" Envy said. "Aren't you?"

"What did you do...!?" Beast Kain growled.

"Oh I did nothing," Envy said. "You did this."

"What!?" Beast Kain asked.

"You regained your memories, so you should have complete control of all of your functions," Envy stated. "Yet, why is it that this form comes out on its own, despite you not wanting to do so?"

Envy had his face up close to Beast Kain's face.

"That's because the Black Beast," Envy stated. "...is the symbol of your hatred'."

"My...hatred...?" Beast Kain asked.

"Yes, 'hatred'," Envy said. "Hatred, fear, anger, despair, insanity! Negative emotions that you can't control no matter what!"

Envy recaptured Iris with his trance and began to strangle her again.

"Stop it!" Beast Kain yelled.

"That's right, you must really hate me, don't you!?" Envy yelled.

Envy strengthened his grasp on Iris, infuriating the beast even more.

"STOP IT!" Beast Kain yelled.

"That's it! Hate me! Hate me more!" Envy yelled. "That hatred will raise your power to its peak!"

Beast Kain screamed as his wings managed to break free and strike at Envy, but he stopped it with his trance.

"Is that all you can do!?" Envy mocked. "Come on! You can do better! Hurry up or else she'll die!"

Beast Kain tried to break free, but his wings wouldn't budge.

"Hmmm...Even if I was able to recreate the Black Beast, then I would need the heart," Envy said. "Well I guess that's why I have Akira..."

"Wha-!?"

"And even if he fails," Envy said. "I can always use your sister."

"You bastard!" Beast Kain yelled.

"Come on! Hurry up!" Envy boomed. "If you don't use your max power, then they'll all die! Iris, Akira, Saya! Everyone who you cherish dearly will die if you don't do anything!"

"GAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Beast Kain screamed.

His left arm suddenly reacted violently as it released black and red energy from the claw as it spread out around Beast Kain. The force was so great, that Envy had to release Iris to defend himself. As the energy cleared, Beast Kain became an even more beastly form, where his claw, chest, shoulder pads and wings represented heads of the Black Beast, as his sword became a large head of the beast. His previously covered mouth ripped open to reveal blood-written and sharp teeth as his eyes only showed feral and murderous eyes and bloodshot pupil.

"Haha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Envy laughed maniacally. "That's it! That's what I was waiting for!"

"K...Kain...?" Iris asked.

"Take a good look, Miss Iris Esperanto," Envy said. "That is Kain's true form as the Black Beast! His destiny!"

Beast Kain glared at Envy.

"Get away from her!" Beast Kain screamed as his wings shot at him.

Envy snapped his fingers, as swords made from psychic energy appeared out of nowhere and stabbed him everywhere, restraining him

"Gaugh...augh..." he gagged.

"Kain!" Iris cried.

"What is this?" a voice asked.

Envy turned to see Relius and Hazama walking into the lab.

"You just came just in time," Envy said. "I was just getting ready to start."

"What happened to the boy?" Relius asked.

"That is Kain's true form as the Black Beast," Envy said. "After his hatred reached its peak."

"Hatred?" Relius asked.

"Yes, 'hatred'," Envy said. "The Black Beast that Kain is represents his hatred to the world. So his hatred will fuel his beast with even more power. And if you were to make his hatred skyrocket by using his loved ones, then it will raise his power at the same rate. Surely you can understand the process."

"Well, yes," Hazama said. "Since I did do something like this, but..."

Beast Kain glared at Hazama.

"My, haven't he became such a grotesque monster," Hazama said. "And he was one hell of a looker too..."

"Yes," Envy said. "But first..."

Envy snapped his fingers, making Iris teleport.

"We still can use her to manipulate him," Envy said. "So tell personnel not to do anything 'lewd' to her. Or else even we won't be able to keep him under wraps."

"Very well then," Hazama said. "I'll get right on that."

As he took out a communicator, Relius looked at Beast Kain. Beast Kain glared at him.

"Relius Clover..." Beast Kain managed to murmur. "This man..."

Envy snapped his fingers, where a sword stabbed him through his mouth.

"Gaugh!" Beast Kain yelled.

"To think even in this state, he still has control over his conscience," Relius said. "Fascinating."

Beast Kain glared at the three evils as Envy tucked in his hat.

"Now then," Envy said. "Shall we get started?"

* * *

"...Now...the 1st Hierarchical city?" Kidou asked. "If I recall...that was Ōkoto..."

Everyone was recovering from the blast that Kidou's sword made, while the six that made direct contact were struggling to get back up.

"Kidou?" Burai asked.

"...Leave saving the two to me," Kidou said.

"? What are you planning'?" Jubei asked.

"Ah, I got it..." Kidou said. "Dealing with the kids' is my responsibility."

"I see..." Rachel said. "So, how do you plan to rescue them?"

"Well..." Kidou said. "I'm gonna need people to come along with me."

"Who?" Alicia asked.

"Let's see here..." Kidou said. "I'll take Itsuki, Claude, Burai, Noel and Makoto. Oh and Hakumen would add a little flair."

Hakumen got back up from Kidou's blast.

"What!? Why!?" Saya protested.

"Because this is the most 'stable' team that I can think of," Kidou said. "Also with Hakumen, at least we can hold our ground against Terumi."

"...Wise decision..." Hakumen said.

There was no way anyone would get in his way of slaying the greatest evil of them all.

"Heh! Frankly I'm surprised that you even stayed this long," Ragna said. "I always thought you weren't the friendliest guy."

"Do not get the wrong idea, Dark One," Hakumen said. "I only wish to rescue Kain so that I may test his true strengths. Noting more, nothing less."

Hakumen seemed satisfied, but Saya was at a rebuttle.

"Then why don't you bring us!?" Saya yelled. "You should at least bring us!"

"Emphasis on 'stable'," Kidou said. "You'll just massacre ever everyone at the headquarters. And I want this to be as covert as possible."

"But–!" Saya protested.

Kidou only shot a menacing glare at her, rare for even this jovial and hardy swordsman, making Saya shut up.

"So you plan to sneak into the NOL headquarters?" Jin asked, getting back up.

"Yep," Kidou said. "If I'm right, then we're gonna get some new allies."

They all looked confused, as Kidou stabbed his two sleek swords into the ground and created a large magic circle.

"Alright, everyone gather 'round," Kidou said.

As the members gathered around Kidou, the circle started to glow.

"Wait!" Carl exclaimed.

"Don't come, Carl," Kidou said. "Ya gonna get us caught by Relius. Relius made Ada who she is now. He's sure as hell can detect her."

"I see..." Carl said.

"Father," Claude said. "Don't worry."

He held up a thumbs up at him.

"I'll bring him back to you," Claude said.

"Claude..." Carl said. "...just be careful..."

Claude grinned, while Sieg bowed in response. Ragna looked like he was going to ride along, but Kidou stopped him.

"No, you stay here," Kidou said.

"Wha-!? Why!?" Ragna demanded.

"Yer the only one," Kidou said. "...who can keep Saya calm if she goes crazy."

Ragna looked surprised as Kidou eyed Saya.

"Even if she is our friend," Kidou said. "Saya only truly cares about her family. Especially her brother. If Kain were to get killed by Envy...Saya would go on a murder spree. Ya' know what she's truly capable of."

Ragna recalled the time when Saya almost managed to kill Terumi, before he had to retreat.

"If Envy somehow kills Kain and even Noel, and Saya figures this out," Kidou said. "She'll kill us. And you're the only one who can calm her down."

Ragna didn't want to believe it, but he had to. Knowing how Saya seemed so attached to Kain, and that she has a Murakumo Unit more powerful than Noel's Murakumo, she can kill everyone.

"Ragna...?" Saya asked him.

Ragna looked at Saya. She had a rather worried look on her face for her future father.

"Ragna," Noel said to comfort him. "We'll get Kain back. I promise."

Ragna looked at Noel's determined face with surprise.

"...Tch...Just don't overdo yourself, you idiot," Ragna said.

"Again? I'm not an idiot, Ragna," Noel pouted, but then blushed. "But...thanks..."

"Please be careful, Noel," Saya said.

"You..." Ragna said to Kidou. "...Save Kain and Iris...and protect Noel..."

"Don'cha worry, Ragna," Kidou said. "I'm definitely gonna save Kain and Iris. No matter what."

Kidou had his usual jovial grin on his face, but his eyes had a rather angry and sad look on him as they disappeared. As they went off, the girls had a rather worried expression on their faces. All, except for Saya, who had a rather annoyed, but guilty look on her face.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in NOL headquarters, Kagura Mutsuki found himself in the dungeon.

"Huh?" Kagura asked himself. "Damn, must have made a wrong turn. This where they keep the prisoners?"

As he looked around, the prisoners trapped in their dirty and dark cells shot a glare at Kagura.

"...The NOL shows no mercy, eh?" he asked himself as he moved around.

"General Kagura!" a voice called out.

Kagura turned to see two officers running up to him. One was a tall man with black hair with green eyes and a rather built body. The other was a woman a little shorter than the man with brown hair and ruby-red eyes. They both wore the same outfit, only stylized to suit their genders.

"Oh! Captain Hughes, First Lieutenant Lila," Kagura said. "What's the matter?"

"You shouldn't be wandering off like that!" Hughes said. "Please return to your office."

"Oh, sorry," Kagura said.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Lila asked.

"Looks like I made one wrong turn," Kagura said. "Damn...I'm still not used to this place..."

"Now come now," Hughes said. "Let us return. You still have work to do."

"Tch...I thought I could skip work a little more..." Kagura mumbled.

"General Kagura? You mean the leader of the Imperial Palace Guards?" a voice asked from a cell.

They turned to see a girl stuck in the cell.

"Wha-!?" Hughes exclaimed. "Iris!?"

"What are you doing here!?" Lila exclaimed.

"Mom...Dad...?" Iris asked frightened.

"...this your daughter?" Kagura asked.

"Yes..." Hughes said nervously. "Iris! What happened!?"

"I...I..." Iris stammered as she backed off as they got closer.

"Iris?" Lila asked.

"I...didn't mean to do it..." Iris said. "I'm a good girl...I'll...do...better..."

The two parents looked horrified as their daughter practically broke down.

"!? Where's Kain?" Iris suddenly asked. She looked around frantically, but could not find him. "Kain!?"

"Kain?" Kagura asked.

"You mean the recent fugitive that showed up recently?" Hughes asked. "How do you know him?"

"Don't tell me..." Lila said. "The rumor were true!? You really did betray the NOL!?"

"No! I..." Iris said.

"Now, now there," Kagura said. "It looks like you all have you're issues, but for now, let's hear her out."

"General!" Hughes exclaimed.

"Are you two," Kagura asked. "Really going to doubt your own daughter?"

The two looked a bit guilty, as Kagura knelt to Iris.

"Iris, was it?" Kagura asked. "Now, why're you here, anyway? If you don't wanna tell, then that's fine, but tell us."

"...Envy..." Iris said. "Threw me in here."

"Envy?" Kagura asked. "Ah...that new guy with the creepy mask..."

"He, along with Relius Clover and Hazama were going to experiment on Kain..." Iris said. "Oh no! I need to save him!"

Kagura had a rather grim glare at Iris as she explained the situation.

"Wait, what?" Hughes asked. "What're you talking about?"

"Why would they experiment on him?" Lila asked.

Iris explained the situation. About Kain being the Black Beast and how the three villains were interested in that power.

"Kain!? The Black Beast!?" Hughes exclaimed. "What are you talking about!?"

"How is that possible!?" Lila asked.

"But it's true!" Iris exclaimed desperately. "And we need to save him!"

"Even if that was true..." Hughes said. "We won't allow you to meet such a dangerous man."

"That's right..." Lila said. "Y-You should just stay here, where it's safe and reflect on your actions."

Iris looked devastated. Her parents wouldn't believe her, even at this dire time. No one could blame them, though. Even if she was their own daughter, what she explained was something out of a story. Something that extreme was hard to believe.

"Is it..." Iris asked. "Because...I was bad...?"

"Eh?" Hughes asked.

"I was a bad girl...wasn't I...?" Iris asked. "I wasn't good enough...so you don't trust me...right...?"

"Iris, we–!" Lila tried to deny it.

"I'm sorry..." Iris said. "I'll do anything to atone my uselessness later, but now, I must save Kain! No matter what!"

Kagura only gave her a serious, yet amused glare. He then proceeded to remove the lock from her cell.

"Huh?" Iris asked.

"General!?" Hughes exclaimed.

"What? You don't want to save your own daughter?" Kagura asked harshly. "Man, you two are bad parents."

They looked a bit guilty and ashamed. Indeed, they were at the moment 'bad parents' for not believing in their own daughter.

"Nah don't worry," Kagura said. "I'm not releasing her. I'm just transferring her over to my custody. There's nothing against that."

"Mr. Kagura?" Iris asked.

"You got spunk, Iris," Kagura said with a pleased snicker. "I like that. Well I won't be able to set you free, so I'll at least let you stay at my manor back in Ibukido. It's at least more decent than this shithole."

"Ibukido?" Iris asked.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to look over Ibukido," Kagura said. "But since I don't feel like involving the actual estate or sleep in my office, I decided to get a place to live there for the time being. It'll be a better cell for you."

Iris looked a little nervous and hesitant. Even if he was offering to help, Kagura was a General of the NOL. And the Black Knight, along with being the current head of the Mutsuki Family, meaning he practically controlled the Duodecim. She didn't know whether she should trust him, or if this was all just a trap.

"On the way," Kagura said. "We'll drop by Relius' lab to see what the hell's goin' on."

Iris looked up as Kagura smiled.

"C'mon," Kagura said. "You outta save your prince."

"...Thank you...Mr. Kagura," Iris said happily.

"Just Kagura's fine," Kagura said. He unlocked her cell and opened the door. Iris, now having regained her sanity, deployed her Luminous Aegis, surprising everyone.

"What's that?" Hughes asked.

"...My power...to protect my friends!" Iris said.

With that, the four headed out to find Relius, and to save Kain.

* * *

Outside the NOL headquarters, the group found themselves a few miles away from the entrance.

"And here we are," Kidou said.

"Whoa..." Burai said. "So that's NOL headquarters..."

"I've never been here before..." Noel said. "It's huge..."

The size of the building was gargantuan, at best. Nothing they ever saw, not even Rachel's castle could come into comparison to the colossus that stood before them. Even from miles away, the size was amazing. Burai squinted his eyes, and saw a bunch of security cameras along with several guards.

"Damn, the entrance is packed," Burai said. "Yo, Kidou. Your idea of a 'covert' infiltration may not work out."

"Na ha ha," Kidou laughed. "Looks like I underestimated the NOL."

"Wha-!?" Makoto exclaimed. "Then how the hell are we gonna get in!?"

"Hmm..." Kidou said. "Might as well make the entrance a little 'covert', then go guns a blazin' once we find Kain."

Itsuki only sighed.

"I knew it was going to end up like that," Itsuki said.

"What's with that attitude?" Kidou asked. "C'mon! Let's get goin'!"

"Do you really think that we can take on the NOL main headquarters?" Itsuki asked.

Hakumen only drew out his sword.

"Let them try," Hakumen only said.

"Whoa, whoa, cool it Hakumen," Kidou said. "Burai..."

"On it..." Burai said.

He readied his Nox Nyctores, pulled up his scarf so that it covered his mouth, and suddenly vanished.

"Wha!?" Noel exclaimed.

"He just vanished!?" Makoto exclaimed.

"Well, since he has his Nox back," Kidou said. "Burai's gonna be kickin' some major ass. Just watch."

Sieg created a sort of portal that viewed Burai, heading towards the NOL headquarters at lightning speed.

* * *

As Burai reached the gate, he jumped while vanishing, then charged his blades.

"Razor Wind."

He flung his blades out, sending a storm of shockwaves that only looked like a gust of wind at the cameras. The wind cut their power chords before they could catch Burai. As he landed, Burai then proceeded to jump over the gate, catching the guards' attention.

"Hey, who are–!?" one of them yelled, until Burai knocked him out.

The other guards took notie and aimed their weapons at him, but Burai quickly slashed them apart, then slammed his fist behind their heads, knocking them out. Soon the entrance was defenseless.

"Phew..." Burai said. "Damn, who knew that knocking them out would be harder than killing them...well I guess that's more humane to do..."

The others soon caught up with Burai.

"Yo!" Burai said casually.

"Alright then," Kidou said. "Let's make our entrance then."

They all headed towards the gate, where Kidou was going to smash the gate, but Claude stopped him.

"Let Sieg," Claude said.

As Kidou looked a little dissatisfied, Sieg got in front and pried the large door open with ease and silence. As he checked around, the coast was clear. Sieg signaled that to the others.

"All right then," Kidou said. "Let's go in."

* * *

At Relius' lab, blood was spewing out of Beast Kain's skewered body, which Envy seemed to be collecting. Envy was examining Beast Kain's body with Relius and Hazama watching and helping out at times.

"Gaugh...augh..." he gagged.

"What are you doing with that blood?" Relius asked.

"It's important," Envy said.

"How? I sort of find it rather 'creepy'..." Hazama said. "It smells too..."

"The blood of the Black Beast," Envy said. "Surely it fascinates you, doesn't it?"

"You do have a point..." Relius said.

"Gaugh..." Beast Kain gagged.

"? You trying to tell me something?" Envy asked. "Oh hang on."

He placed his hand on Beast Kain's head.

_What the hell?_

'_I can read your mind, remember?'_ Envy thought. _'And as an added bonus, I can transfer my thoughts to you. This way, we'll have our privacy. Now tell me, what's the matter?'_

_You damn freak! Do you really think you're going to get away with this!?_

'_Oh I have my confidence that I'll get what I need," _Envy thought. _'Without these two noticing a thing.'_

_How do you plan on doing that!? Relius is smart enough to realize what you're planning to do, and he's right in front of you!_

'_Don't worry your pretty little head,'_ Envy thought as he continued to examine his body. _'I have a plan.'_

Beast Kain only glared at Envy as he finished examining the body.

"Okay then," Envy said. "This looks like a good spot."

He summoned two more psychic swords and stabbed Beast Kain's chest.

"Gaaugh!?" he yelped.

As Envy seemed to be shoving the edge through his chest, after feeling something from the edge, he strongly ripped the two swords, prying out what appeared to be a black orb of some sort.

"Bingo," Envy said.

"GAAAUGH...AUUGH!" Beast Kain moaned, eyes widened and in severe pain. It felt like Envy ripped his heart out of him, literally.

"What's that there?" Hazama asked.

"This...is the 'core' of the Black Beast," Envy explained. "Or at least what'll make the body stable. Without it, then who knows what'll happen?"

"Won't he die at that rate?" Hazama asked.

"No, his body isn't that weak," Envy said. "I didn't remove his heart, just the core that stabilized his form. He'll merely regenerate himself at a mind-boggling fast rate, actually making it close to impossible for him to die, naturally of course."

"Envy," Relius said. "From what you're inferring at, you plan to recreate the Black Beast, no?"

_Busted...freak!_

"What!?" Hazama asked, not being able to keep a calm persona.

"...As expected of you, Relius Clover," Envy said as he secured the core along with some tanks of Beast Kain's blood.

"...What are you planning, jester?" Relius asked.

Once Envy secured the core, he snapped his fingers, where the core and the tanks of blood vanished.

"Don't worry, Colonel," Envy said. "Nothing you two should be truly concerned about."

'_As I figured...'_ Relius thought.

'_This bastard can't be trusted...'_ Hazama thought.

* * *

Back at Rachel's castle, everyone seemed to be waiting for their return.

"I hope everyone's alright..." Litchi said.

"Do not fret, Miss Litchi," Bang assured her. "They will do fine."

"...Thanks, Bang," Litchi said.

"Scruffy Man's right!" Tao exclaimed as she clung on Litchi. "Now Boobie Lady! Play with Tao while Kimono man's gone!"

"Wha-!? Tao!" Litchi exclaimed. "Get off me!"

"Ha ha! How lively!" Bang said. "That's the spirit, Taokaka!"

"Still..." Jin said. "I wonder if they will make it back."

"They will make it back," Azrael shot back at him.

"Since when did you care for what happened to others?" Jin asked.

"Ever since I considered Kain and Iris apart from the rest of you weaklings," Azrael said.

"What did you say?" Jin asked, grabbing his Yukianesa.

"Father!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Hold it!" Amane exclaimed, getting between the two. "We just broke up a fight...let's not get back into one."

"Tch..." Jin said.

Azrael only scoffed as he cracked his knuckles.

"Phew..." Amane said. "Well, we managed to survive that storm."

Meanwhile, Carl looked worried.

"Dad?" Mary asked from behind.

"Wha? Oh, Mary," Carl said. "What's the matter?"

"Is Mom and Claude gonna be alright?" Mary asked.

Carl smiled.

"They'll be alright," Carl said.

"Makoto..." Bullet said back at the Sector Seven corner.

"Kokonoe," Tager said. "Can't you track them down?"

"I would if I had my equipment," Kokonoe snapped back. "Tch...I should have bugged Sieg when I had the chance."

"Now, now," Jubei said. "Let's believe in them kids."

"Tch…And here's world's worst dad," Kokonoe only said.

"Damn, Kokonoe," Jubei said. "Ya' became the potty mouth, I guess."

"Hey! Cat Lady!" Luna yelled. "Who the hell're you calling 'worst'!?"

"Who else?" Kokonoe asked.

"You wanna taste my Nox, you bitch!?" Lune yelled.

"C-Calm down Luna," Sena said. "The people behind her scare me..."

"Stay out of this, Sena!" Lune exclaimed. "First it was that Mary bitch, and now you!? You're all gonna pay for making fun of Master Jubei!"

"Luna!" Jubei yelled, making the self-pompous girl jump and look down to the ground.

"I'm sorry..." she said defeated.

"Don't worry though," Jubei said. "They'll be fine."

"Tch...like I need you to tell me that..." Kokonoe said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ragna was glaring at Rachel and Valkenhayn. Nago and Gii were lazing around next to her.

"Damn it, Rabbit," Ragna said. "Do you even care about what happens to them!?"

"It is none of my concerns," Rachel said. "They will come back if they survive."

"You could at least help them!" Ragna exclaimed.

"My Ragna," Rachel said. "Do you actually care for someone's wellbeing? You? The 'Grim Reaper'?"

"Don't test me, you bunny leech," Ragna growled.

"Watch your tongue, boy," Valkenhayn threatened.

"Oh please, you're still banged up, old man," Ragna said. "So I'm not afraid of you now."

As the two glared at each other, Rachel only sipped her tea with no problems.

"Ragna, you know full well that we can't do anything about them," Rachel said calmly. "We can only see how their presence will change the course of history. We cannot interfere with their actions. This is all fate."

"That doesn't mean that you can just leave them be!" Ragna argued. "Even if we can't change everything that's gonna change because they showed up, we can at least help them!"

"Do you not trust the children?" Rachel asked. "They do have Mr. Hero with them."

Ragna just grinded his teeth.

"...Is it because Kain is your 'family'?" Rachel asked.

Ragna suddenly looked up.

"You weren't able to protect your family back then," Rachel said. "And here in front of you is a possibility of a new family. Something you lost and possibly yearned for."

"...What're you getting at, bunny leech?" Ragna asked.

"...You feel remorse for not being able to protect them back then," Rachel continued. "So you don't want to feel that same remorse if you lost Noel or Kain. Am I right?"

Ragna suddenly had his blade pointed at Rachel.

"Shut up...Rabbit..." Ragna growled.

"Oh? Did I make you mad?" Rachel asked. "Then what will you do about it?"

Valkenhayn was going to intervene, but Rachel gestured him to not interfere.

"You're gonna pay, bitch," Ragna said.

Rachel got off her chair, as she stepped on Nago and Gii to get them ready. Nago turned into her umbrella while Gii flew next to her.

"! Mother!" Alicia exclaimed, realizing what was going to happen.

"Ragna!" Saya exclaimed.

"Do not interfere, you two," Rachel said as she faced Ragna. "It looks like someone needs some punishment."

"I'm gonna make you cry, Rabbit!" Ragna yelld as he charged at Rachel. But as he slammed his sword at ther, she only used Gii as a shield.

"Oh if you can, please do," Rachel said with a giggle.

* * *

At the headquarters, Kagura, along with the Esperantos, made their way to Relius' lab.

"I'm pretty sure it was around here," Kagura said as he led them to the dark hallways.

As Kagura was trying to find his lab, Hughes and Lila looked at Iris with a little remorse.

"Iris..." Lila said.

Iris looked at her mother, but just moved on forward.

"Lila..." Hughes said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I know..." she responded sadly.

"...How did you two raise her, anyway?" Kagura asked.

The two looked guilty as they remembered how they raised Iris.

"...It was our fault..." Hughes said. "We always tried to push her to do her best, but she always failed."

"We should have known better..." Lila said. "No child could do everything perfectly, but we tried to make her to do such...for her future..."

Kagura said nothing, as Iris had a rather grim expression.

"We were only thinking about her future..." Lila said. "But...we didn't see how much she was suffering."

"It was until we saw Iris like that..." Hughes said. "Was when we saw what we have done to her..."

"We're so sorry...Iris..." Lila said.

Iris didn't look to them, but only moved forward.

"Look...Captain...First Lieutenant..." Kagura said. "From what you're tellin' me, it looks like it's gonna take a while for her to forgive you."

The two looked guilty, but Kagura only smiled.

"But...give it some time," Kagura assured them. "You all are family...your bond won't take that much to break."

"General..." Hughes said.

As they reached a room, they stopped.

"Hang on..." Kagura said. "This is it."

"Let's go!" Iris exclaimed.

As they were about to get in, some voices stopped them.

"Shh!" Kagura whispered.

"What?" Iris asked.

"Someone's coming."

As they hid behind a platform, they saw a group of people up ahead.

"? Was it this way?" a voice asked.

"C'mon, Makoto!" another voice said. "Wait...does that mean...?"

"Na ha ha ha ha!" a jaunty voice laughed. "I guess we're lost!"

"I knew it..." a cold voice said.

"What!?" a girl's voice asked. "What happens if we got ambushed by the enemy!?"

"Frankly, I'm surprised that we didn't even attract the attention of any guards..." another calmer voice said.

They looked up ahead to a group of what appeared to be warriors; two girls, one with a squirrel tail, four guys, a large puppet, and a large cyborg-like samurai, who looked up to see Iris.

"Iris!?" the girl exclaimed.

"Noel!? Everyone!?" Iris exclaimed happily.

Iris rushed over to regroup with her friends.

"Oh my God! You're all right!" Makoto cheered as she hugged Iris, crushing Iris in her breasts.

"T-Thanks...Makoto..." Iris said. "Can you let go off me-?! It's...tight...!"

"Oh, sorry," Makoto said as she let her go.

Kidou looked to see Kagura.

"Oh! Well if it isn't Kagura Mutsuki!" Kidou boomed.

"? Do I know you?" Kagura asked.

"You won't yet," Kidou said, snickering a little.

"Iris!? Where's Kain!?" Noel asked frantically.

Iris looked at the door, worried.

"We need to save him!" Iris exclaimed.

Iris rushed to the door, but Kidou stopped him.

"Hold it," Kidou said. "The door's being protected by an Ars Magus that'll fry ya'."

To prove it, Kidou took out a piece of paper he had, crumbled it up and threw it at the door. As soon as the paper made contact, it burned and turned into dust within seconds.

"Whoa!" Burai exclaimed.

"Told ya' so," Kidou said.

"So how do we get in?" Kagura asked.

"Easy," Kidou said. "We break in."

Kidou gestured to Claude, who gestured to Sieg. Sieg got in front of the door and retracted his arm.

* * *

"Now then," Envy said.

He snapped his fingers, where all the swords were pried out from Beast Kain's rather forcefully. Beast Kain wailed in pain as the blood spewed out of him like sprinklers. From the pain, he reverted back to his usual Beast form, then back to his human state.

"He reverted back to normal?" Relius asked.

"Of course," Envy said matter-of-factly. "That his only his true form 'incomplete'. He can't maintain that form without the core that I just ripped out of him. So if you weaken him enough, he'll be unable to retain even his basic form as the Beast."

Envy sighed as he used his trance to collect more of Kain's blood.

"Of course you can regenerate your core, but I can't really have you be at full power after I did all of this," Envy said. "You've gotta be seriously mad now!"

Kain glared at Envy, as the blood stained the lab even further. He tried to get up, but he was still restrained to the wall.

"Since I got what I want from you," Envy said. "I don't really need you anymore."

Envy walked away from him.

"Colonel, you can do whatever you want with him now," Envy said. "Him, and Miss Iris included."

"You bastard!" Kain yelled. "Don't you dare touch her!"

"Ooh, isn't someone angry," Hazama said.

Kain growled at the three, but suddenly stopped.

"? Did someone finally become cooperative?" Hazama asked.

"...Hey, Relius," Kain said. "You have confidence in your puppet, right?"

"? What a foolish question," Relius said. "There is no other puppet that can surpass Ignis."

Kain snickered.

"Then I hate to disappoint," he said. "...but Ignis is only a fair 'second' in the best puppet."

"What?" Relius asked aggravated.

Suddenly, a palm of a claw suddenly shot out from the door.

"What the!?" Hazama yelled.

The claw pulled the door out with ease, as a puppet resembling that of a knight walked in.

"That," Kain said. "...is the number one best puppet, 'Sieg'."

"What!?" Relius exclaimed.

* * *

Ignis suddenly appeared and attacked Sieg, but he took Ignis' claws with his own and pushed Ignis away. Then he shot his claws at Beast Kain, as they bent at sharp angles, freeing Beast Kain from his restraints. Kain took that opportunity and attacked Envy, who blocked him with a psychic sword.

"...So they came, eh?" Envy asked.

From the door, Hakumen suddenly barged in and attacked Hazama, while Envy pushed Kain off of him. As he fell, Burai and Itsuki caught Kain.

"So your friends came to the rescue," Envy said. "How sweet...hey! If it isn't Itsuki! How've you been doing?"

"Shut it, Envy!" Itsuki hissed.

"We're gonna beat the shit out of you for what you did to Kain!" Burai yelled.

"Oh, by all means go ahead," Envy said boastfully, aggravating the two warriors.

"Oh, you're dead now!" Burai and Itsuki yelled as they attacked Envy, as his mask flashed a little.

* * *

Hakumen slashed his blade at Hazama, who only dodged them.

"What? No hello?" Hazama asked. "And it's been such a while too, Hakumen."

"Silence, Terumi!" Hakumen yelled as he continued to try to slash him.

Hazama only dodged his slash and got close to him.

"Bloody Fangs!"

Hazama used his knife to shred Hakumen, catching him off guard.

"Cra-!" Hakumen yelled.

"SERPENT'S INFERNAL RAPTURE!"

Hazama disappeared, then reappeared kicking Hakumen sky-high with a green pillar of energy, sending Hakumen crashing through the ceiling. As Hazama was going to pursue Hakumen, Noel shot at Hazama, catching the man in black by surprise. He backed off, while Hakumen crashed back to the ground, but got back up.

"What are you doing, Noel Vermillion?" Hakumen asked.

"You're not the only one with a score to settle with him!" Noel said.

"My, my, if it isn't Miss Noel," Hazama said. "How've you been doll?"

"Don't talk to me!" Noel yelled.

"Whoa, haven't we become the confident little whore," Hazama said. "Very well, you can fight me too. I'm interested to see just how much you'll struggle."

Hazama suddenly dashed at Noel.

"Rising Fang!"

Hazama kicked Noel upward, as he shot his chain at her, reeling himself to her. He then slashed Noel in a storm of furious slices with his knives.

"Wind Serpent's Fang!"

Hazama heel drop kicked Noel in an aerial backward motion, punishing her to the ground. But not before Noel managed to shoot Hazama in the leg, making him loose his momentum in the air.

"Owowowow..." Hazama said as he fell to the ground, where Hakumen readied his sword.

"Remnant!"

Hakumen slammed Hazama to the ground with his sword, then slashed Hazama with his follow-up slash while he was down. Hazama rolled back and shot his chain at Hakumen, but Noel barged in and broke the chain.

"Tch! What a pest!" Hazama muttered as he shifted his aim at Noel and dashed towards her.

"Devouring Fang!"

Hazama sent a wave of snake-like energy along the ground at Noel, but she dodged it and pursued Hazama. She shot at Hazama with her guns, as he defended himself against it.

"Is that all you got?" Hazama taunted. "Well, is it? 'Doll'?"

"I'm not a 'doll'!" Noel yelled. "I'm a human!"

Noel tripped Hazama and shot at him while he dropped to the ground. She then followed up with her gunslinger like attacks mixed up with her firing her guns at Hazama in the face.

"Champer Shot!"

Noel put her two guns together and shot Hazama with one strong blast, sending him into the air. She jumped and followed him for another attack.

"Revolver Blast!"

Noel fired four rounds at Hazama while twirling in the air, then shot at Hazama downwards, sending him back to the ground, where Hakumen was waiting for him.

"EMPTY SKY FORM...SUMMER'S ADVANCE!"

Hakumen charged energy in his blade and slammed it against Hazama, practically crushing him in the fortitude of the blade. He got out-of-the-way as Hazama tried to get back up, where Noel was still in the air.

"BULLET STORM!"

Noel fired a volley of bullets at Hazama, then prepared a missile from Ars Magus.

"THOR!"

She fired the missile at Hazama, striking the snake in the combined firepower. As Hazama flew to the air, he finally snapped.

"Oh, play time is over, you damn whore!" Hazama yelled as he released a time-stopping distortion, while deploying a green ring around him.

"Crap!" Hakumen yelled.

As Noel landed, Hazama suddenly dashed at her.

"OROCHI BURENSŌ!"

Hazama removed his hat, revealing spiked hair as he lifted Noel in a binding barrier with his Ouroboros. He then rose up with a knee attack to her and forcibly slammed her to the ground with a turning midair kick followed by a heel drop kick on the target, then stomped on her several times.

"Don't get your hopes up," Terumi said as he rubbed his foot against her head. "You damn mutt-loving whore!"

Terumi swept her off the ground and finished with a backward kick trailed by an energy snake.

"Kyaa!" Noel exclaimed as she crashed through the wall, while Terumi put his hat back on, becoming Hazama again.

As Hazama pursued Noel, Hakumen intervened with a dash attack.

"Releasing Unit!"

Hakumen released a similar time-stopping distortion as Hazama was about to attack again.

"Piss off Hakumen!" Hazama yelled as he went for a kick in the gut.

"EMPTY SKY FORM..."

Hakumen created a red barrier that guarded him from Hazama's kick, then he slashed past Hazama like the wind, where several other slashed massacred Hazama.

"WINTER'S REPOSTE!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Ignis and Sieg were brawling each other, as Relius and Claude were fighting on their own.

"Id Lauger."

"Allegro!"

Relius smashed a mechanical cog at Claude, where Claude smashed a quick-firing cog at Relius. Both cogs hit each other, as Claude tried to kick Relius.

"Led Ley."

Relius spun around, avoiding Claude, but Claude followed up with another attack from behind.

"Cadenza!"

Claude summoned a cog to shoot Relius from below, shooting him up into the air, where Claude rose up and heel drop kicked Relius to the ground. Ignis tried to help its master, but Sieg interfered.

"Val Lanto."

"Distruttivo!"

Ignis charged at Sieg like a chain saw, while Sieg constricted his arm and shot a strong punch, stopping Ignis.

"A rather impressive doll you got there boy," Relius said. "Tell me...did you make this?"

"Not really," Claude said cautiously. "But I did all the fine tuning and upgrades."

"...Intriguing..." Relius said. "...Tell me boy, what is your name?"

"...Claude..." he answered.

"Claude, eh?" Relius said. "The puppet catches my attention. Allow me to examine it."

Relius snapped his fingers, where Ignis returned to his side. Sieg quickly teleported back to Claude's side.

"The doll reminds me of Kokonoe's handy work," Relius said. "...Are you from the future as well?"

"...So?" Claude asked.

"I see..." Relius said. "Then this doll must have been made by Kokonoe from your time. It shows signs of a Nox Nyctores...what is the core? Is it another Black Beast?"

"Of course not!" Claude yelled.

"? Then how...?" Relius asked, until realization struck him, making him smirk. "The core is a human being, isn't it?"

Claude looked shocked.

"The movements from this fine piece of work is too alive for it to be a mere 'machine'," Relius said. "So the core must be a soul of a human. Am I wrong?"

Claude couldn't answer.

"...Are you Carl's son?" Relius asked.

He still didn't answer.

"This is rather fascinating," Relius said. "I guess the blood runs down the family, if I do say so myself."

"What!?" Claude yelled. "I am nothing like you!"

"Then how do you explain this?" Relius asked, pointing to Sieg. "Clearly you made it into its final state."

Claude tried to deny that, but it was true.

"Of course, no mere child could possibly make a Nox Nyctores, so Kokonoe must have made it into its initial state," Relius said. "But you must have made all the adjustments. Very impressive!"

"Shut up!" Claude yelled. "I am nothing like you! Relius Clover!"

Sieg suddenly attacked Relius, but only to be blocked by Ignis. Sieg backed off and got in front of Claude.

"The doll is acting on its own?" Relius asked. "...Yes...yes, this is it! This is truly the sign of the 'Detonator'! You have shown me the fruits of my works! You truly are my descendent! Bravo!

"What're you talking about!?" Claude yelled.

"This is truly what the Detonator should be!" Relius exclaimed. "A doll that surpasses human abilities! A doll with a perfect soul! This is what I was aiming for!"

Relius started to laugh out of his character, as Claude looked horrified at what he is. Sieg, enraged, attacked Relius, but Ignis grabbed him and flung him against the wall. Sieg got back from the wall and struck at Ignis and pinned it to the ground. He raised his fist to slam Ignis, but Ignis stopped his fist and pushed Sieg off of it.

"Ignis! Capture the two!" Relius exclaimed. "They will become valuable sources for the Detonator!"

As Ignis reached out to Claude, Makoto suddenly barged in and slammed Ignis to the wall.

"Are you okay, Claude?" Makoto asked.

"Mother!" Claude exclaimed.

"Mother?" Relius asked. "So Makoto Nanaya is your mother!?"

"Don't you dare touch him, creeper!" Makoto yelled.

"This is just perfect!" Relius exclaimed. "You carry both the soul of your mother and the intellect of your father. The perfect blend of soul and knowledge! You will be perfect material for the Detonator!"

"I won't let you do that!" Makoto yelled as she charged at Relius.

* * *

Envy created two wheels of psychic energy.

"Strange Wheel!"

He released them as they ran over the two as the got up. As Itsuki got pummeled, Burai only disappeared and reappeared behind Envy. As Burai struck at Envy, he teleported out of his grasp at the last second and reappeared a few feet away from him.

"Son of a bitch!" Burai yelled.

"Dread Rifle!"

"Shine Blaster!"

As Envy was headed to him, a bullet of red energy, along with an immense light shot at Envy, catching him off guard.

"Gah!" he yelled.

He turned to see Kain and Iris, aimed at him.

"Glad you're okay," Kain said to Iris.

"Likewise," Iris said with a smile.

"So you came back, you cute couple of filth," Envy said.

Kain slashed at Envy, while Iris swung her shield at him. Envy managed to make two psychic swords and fend off against both of them. Her parents, outside the battle, looked amazed at her as she kept up with the battle.

"Amazing..." Hughes said.

"That's Iris...?" Lila asked.

"Looks like it," Kagura said.

"Aren't those two impressive?" Kidou asked with jaunting pride.

"And why aren't you helping?" Kagura asked.

"This is their fight," Kidou said. "So I won't interfere. Isn't that what yer' thinking too?"

Kagura looked a little surprised, as Kidou put on a jovial grin. Meanwhile, Iris' parents were practically breath-taken by their daughter. Something that Kagura took notice to.

"Looks like," Kagura said. "That Kain fellow taught Iris a thing or few."

"I never knew Iris had this much potential..." Hughes said.

"Well, looks can be deceiving," Kagura said. "And she's fightin' to protect all of us."

"Us? But..." Lila said.

"Do you really think she'll hate you?" Kagura asked. "You're her parents. She may not show it, but I'm sure that she still loves ya'."

The two looked at Iris, as she defended Kain from Envy.

* * *

"Tch, that shield is pretty pesky," Envy said as he got back.

Iris got in front of Kain, as he was starting to tire out.

"Kain..." Iris said.

"I'm alright," he panted. "We can't let our guard down..."

"Oh? Is someone getting tired?" Envy taunted.

They both glared at Envy.

"That feeling..." Kain said. "Your 'psychic' powers...they're from an Arma, aren't they!?"

Envy had an invisible look of surprise, but chuckled.

"As sharp as ever," Envy said. "I'll show you as a reward."

Envy opened up his shirt and revealed a sort of devices that represented a jewel embedded in his chest.

"Theios Anima Arma: Deus Benedictio: Yasakani Magatama," Envy said. "Like you saw, the jewel gives its user special abilities that make them surpass human capabilities, but at a cost of giving up your humanity, like I did with the jewel."

"What!?" Kain yelled.

"What?" Envy asked. "Did you really think that the Armas were limited to 'close-combat' weapons?"

"I mean, where you got the Arma!?" Kain demanded. "They can only be made from the Azure...unless..."

Kain got back up out of rage.

"You used Akira to get it, didn't you!?" Kain yelled.

"I don't know..." Envy said

"You bastard! Where is he!" Kain yelled. "Where's my brother!?"

He tried to move, but the pain got to him.

"Kh!" he yelped.

"Kain!" Iris yelled. "You're too banged up! I'll deal with him!"

"Really?" Envy taunted. "The poor whore who have slave-driving parents is gonna protect the freak of humanity? I'd like to see that."

"You scum!" Iris screamed.

"Wait, Iris!" Kain yelled.

Iris blindly charged at Envy in rage, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike. He caught Iris in his trance and restrained her arms, making her unable to use her Arma. Kain tried to shoot Envy, but the pain was too great for him to lift the sword-rifle.

"Damn it..." Kain muttered.

"You were a rather interesting girl from Day 1," Envy said. "But here, you shall fall and die."

Envy created a psychic sword and balanced it on his fingertip as he aimed it to the ceiling.

"DESPAIR RAIN!"

He shot the sword into a portal that appeared, then several other portals appeared, where tons of psychic swords came out and rained down upon Iris.

"IRIIIIIIIS!"

"No, wait! Captain!" Kagura yelled.

Iris was prepared to feel sharp and intense pains of swords ripping her apart, but she felt nothing.

"Eh...?" Iris asked as she looked up to her horror of what happened.

Before her eyes, Hughes was there, getting massacred by the tempest of swords that were supposed to slay her. When it was over, Hughes fell to the ground, as Iris' eyes widened.

"DAD!"

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** These chapters are starting to get longer and longer, aren't they? Sorry about that, but hey, at least they aren't boring. Kain got mutilated, Iris reunites with her parents, and her dad shielded her from a death storm. Not a good day for her, isn't it?

Until next time and don't forget to review!


	20. Chapter 20: Breaking Point

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 20: Breaking Point**

* * *

**AN:** Sorry for the delay, writer's block can be a pain sometimes. Anyway, after reading that behemoth of a chapter myself, I decided to shorten this one to ease the length. Here's chapter 20!

_TEXT=people's thoughts/communication via transceiver_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_What the hell?_

_That's her dad!?_

_What the hell's going on!?_

* * *

"DAD!" Iris cried as Hughes fell to the ground.

She rushed over to her massacred father, while Envy and Kain were left a little confused.

"What...? What happened!?" Kain asked.

"That was her father?" Envy asked.

"Dad! Get a hold of yourself!" Iris pleaded.

"Guh...I...ris..." Hughes muttered, coughing up blood. "You okay...?"

"That doesn't matter!" Iris cried. "We need to get you healed!"

As Iris tried to lift him, Envy made a gesture with his hands, creating a psychic sword aimed for Hughes.

"! Look out!" Lila yelled.

She got in the way as Envy flung another sword at Hughes, taking the wound to the heart.

"!? MOM!" Iris shrieked.

"Lila...!" Hughes moaned.

"What the hell!? You bastard!" Kain yelled.

"He's not gonna make it anyway," Envy said. "So might as well put the poor sucker out of his misery. But I didn't expect mommy to rush in to die on her own."

"I...ri..." Lila said, before falling to her death.

"Mom! Get a hold of yourself!" Iris cried as she embraced Lila. "Mom!"

"Li...la..." Hughes murmured.

Envy produced another sword, but Kain managed to muster enough strength to shoot Envy, stopping him.

"Tch!" Envy muttered.

"I won't let you!" Kain yelled.

"Dad! Please! You need medical attention!" Iris cried.

"Do you really think..." Hughes strained. "That I can make it...like this...?"

Iris looked horrified. He was indeed that of a torn up bloody rag.

"Why!?" Iris yelled. "Why did you take the hit for me!?"

"You're...our daughter..." Hughes said. "We will always...protect you..."

"But...!" Iris said.

Hughes with his last strength, wiped the tears that poured from her daughter's face.

"We're...so sorry for treating you so harshly all those years..." Hughes said. "I know you can never forgive us...but...know this..."

Hughes made one last smile.

"We always loved you..." Hughes said. "No matter what...we always will...as long as you're happy, then we have no regrets..."

"Dad..." Iris said, regretting all of her inner hatred towards her parents.

Kain managed to push Envy away and regroup with Iris. Envy tried to shoot him down, but Itsuki and Burai slashed him down, forcing Envy to retreat.

"Iris!" Kain yelled as he ran to her, but stopped after seeing what's going on.

"So...you're Kain, right?" Hughes asked.

"Yes..." Kain said.

"...Please..." he practically whispered. "Protect her..."

Kain nodded in response. Satisfied, Hughes looked to Iris for one last time.

"Iris..." he said. "...you're now free...to live your dreams..."

As Iris was about to embrace her father one last time, he suddenly pushed her and Kain out-of-the-way, as several streams of energy suddenly rained down upon him, ripping his body apart. Surprised and horrified, Kain looked to see that Envy had his arm raised in the air, as he had his trance to slam Burai and Itsuki to the ground.

"Envy!" Kain yelled.

"A dying person," Envy said. "Should just stop talking and die."

"You...damn asshole!" Burai yelled.

"You don't have a soul!" Itsuki yelled.

"Oh, quiet," Envy said as he slammed Burai's and Itsuki's faces into the ground, then turned to Lila's corpse.

"Well, since she can't be buried with her husband," Envy said casually. "Might as well make sure she doesn't have to get buried alone."

Envy aimed his arm at Lila's corpse and shot several streams that blew it to bits, horrifying Iris.

"Aah...aaaahhh..." Iris moaned in horror as the bits of her parent's corpses fell on her. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"You...bastard!" Kain yelled. "Would you really go that far!?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Envy said. "I don't see anything wrong in getting rid of trash."

"Trash!?" Kain yelled, which Iris picked up.

"Trash," Envy said. "What's so wrong about describing something the way they are. They were just ordinary 'humans' who couldn't really do anything besides take up space."

"What did you say?" Kagura said rather angrily.

"? By the way, where's your sword?" Envy asked. "By all means you would pose a slight threat with it, but it seems you don't have it with you now. Forgot it somewhere?"

Although Envy's words practically got on his nerves, he was right. Kagura had left his sword back at his office, since he didn't expect a scenario like this to occur. As Envy looked, he also saw Kidou, much to his invisible grimace.

"'Overlord'..." Envy said with much annoyance.

"'Tis been a while, Envy," Kidou said.

"Aren't you going to fight me?" Envy asked. "Or are you going to ignore the fighting again? Or What? Are you scared that I'll break your sword again?"

Kidou was about to enter the fight, but he noticed something that made him stop.

"Oh, I do not wanna' enter this fight..." Kidou said.

Envy seemed confused, but quickly turned to Iris, her Aegis suddenly reacted.

"Iris...?" Kain asked.

"Don't tell me..." Envy said. "The Arma's reacting to her emotions!?"

"You...demon..." Iris said as she gripped the Aegis. "You...will...PAY!"

The Aegis suddenly released a strong energy that captivated everyone. Her expression was filled with pure wrath as she murderously glared at Envy.

* * *

"What was that?" Noel asked.

She looked over to Iris, who seemed just as threatening as Kain.

"Iris!?" she exclaimed.

"What power..." Hakumen said. "!? Duck!"

Noel suddenly duck, while Hakumen intercepted a sudden sucker punch from Hazama.

"Hey, hey," Hazama said. "Is it really smart to look the other way?"

"How impudent..." Hakumen said as he managed to push Hazama back. "...Noel Vermillion, go to the Boy's side."

"Eh?" Noel asked.

"Now!" Hakumen yelled. "I shall handle Terumi!"

Noel nodded and rushed over to Kain.

"Do you really think you can get away from me?" Hazama asked as he shot a chain at her back, but Hakumen only slashed it down, creating a barrier that floated in midair.

"Such low tactics," Hakumen said. "Do you really have no shame?"

"The hell you say, ya' damn shithole?" Hazama asked angrily as he dashed towards him.

"Rising Fang!"

"Camellia!"

Hazama kicked up at Hakumen, but Hakumen quickly jumped and slammed his sword. The two hits collided, as the two fell back. Hakumen readied his sword once more, relentlessly attacking Hazama.

"Tch! Don't you ever stop being so annoying!?" Hazama yelled as he dodged the slashes while taking the blade slashes with his knives.

"Silence, snake!" Hakumen yelled as he slammed his foot at Hazama's gut, smashing him into the wall.

"Guagh...you asshole..." Hazama muttered. "But I'm not over–!"

As they got back up, soldiers suddenly came out of nowhere and aimed at Hakumen.

"? Now they decided to show up?" Hakumen asked. "Such horrible security..."

"Trespasser!" a soldier yelled. "You shall now be executed for–!"

The soldier suddenly found himself getting pierced through the gut by a snake.

"Who the hell said..." Hazama growled. "That you can interrupt me when I'm speaking!?"

Hazama suddenly went and started slaughtering all the soldiers that barged in.

"Captain Hazama!?" a soldier exclaimed before Hazama slammed his knee into his face, crushing his face.

"And who the hell told you to interrupt my fight!?" Hazama yelled as he grabbed the soldier's head and ripped it off of his body. "No one interrupts me, ever!"

"...You're losing your ruse, Terumi..." Hakumen said.

"Shut it, asshole!" Hazama yelled as he continued to slaughter his allies. "I'm seriously pissed off right now! Useless pieces of shit who don't even know when to show up! God, it's so annoying!"

As he finished his massacre, both of their Overdrives wore off.

"Tch! A waste of energy!" Hazama grumbled.

"How sloppy even for you, Terumi," Hakumen taunted.

"The hell you say!?" Hazama screamed.

Hazama rushed at Hakumen, who held his sword up, charging energy.

"SERPENT'S INFERNAL RAPTURE!"

"EMPTY SKY FORM: SUMMER'S ADVANCE!"

Hazama strongly kicked Hakumen, who slammed his charge attack at Hazama's kick.

* * *

"Iris!?" Makoto exclaimed, seeing Iris in her enraged form.

As she was looking at her, Ignis suddenly grabbed Makoto and slammed her to the ground.

"Gah!" Makoto yelped.

As Ignis crushed Makoto more into the ground, Sieg rammed Ignis, forcing Ignis off of Makoto.

"Mother!" Claude exclaimed as he helped Makoto up.

"Thanks, Claude," Makoto said as she looked at Iris. "What happened to Iris...?"

"Beats me..." Claude said. "I don't know much about the Armas...you're gonna have to ask Kain, the Arma expert, about that..."

"Do you really think you can escape from me?" Relius asked suddenly.

They glared at Relius, where Ignis returned to Relius' side.

"This is the perfect opportunity to gather the sufficient materials for the Detonator..." Relius said. "I shall not miss such a golden opportunity. Ignis!"

Ignis struck at Makoto and Claude, but Sieg intercepted its claw attack with a fist.

"Val Lanto!"

"Adagio!"

Ignis charged at Sieg like a chainsaw, but Claude got in the way and set up a cog that set up beneath Ignis, and trapped it in a bind, giving Sieg a perfect opportunity.

"Distruttivo!"

"Comet Cannon!"

As Sieg retracted his arm and sent a strong jab, Makoto created an orb and shot it at Ignis. Ignis was sent back as it disappeared, but Relius simply snapped his fingers, and Ignis was back to attack them.

"Tch! Persistent!" Claude said.

"No, this is not enough," Relius said. "More...show me more of the doll's potential!"

Ignis hovered into the air and struck down upon Claude, but Sieg launched his arm at Ignis, fending it off. But as Sieg fended off Ignis, Relius got behind him.

"REQ VINUM."

Relius created a field under Sieg, where various cogs and screws trapped the puppet.

"Sieg!" Claude yelled.

As Claude was trying to go help Sieg, Ignis suddenly rushed in front of him.

"Wha-!?" Claude yelled.

"Watch out!" Makoto yelled.

"DUO BIOS!"

Makoto pushed Claude out of the way, as Ignis started to pummel and slaughter Makoto in a series of strikes, finishing her off with a strong jab.

"Gah!" Makoto yelled.

"Mother!" Claude yelled.

Sieg broke free and returned to Claude's side, as Ignis returned to Relius' side.

"Is that it?" Relius asked. "Do not disappoint me, child."

"I don't remember ever participating in your experiment," Claude growled. "And anyway, what're you talking about 'materials'? We're human!"

Relius had a rather confused look on his face, behind his mask.

"What are you talking about?" Relius asked. "People are only just materials, when compared to true form of people."

"True form?" Claude asked.

"You wouldn't understand, boy," Relius said. "So for now, let us continue."

"You heartless bastard..." Claude said as he helped Makoto up, but she seemed to be worried about Iris. "...go to her, Mother..."

"Huh? But..." Makoto said, not wanting to leave her future son alone against the Mad Puppeteer, but she wanted to help Iris.

"We'll be fine," Claude said.

Makoto looked hesitant, but she smiled.

"Just don't push yourself," Makoto said.

Claude gave her a thumbs-up, while Sieg nodded in response, relieving Makoto. She then rushed off to help Iris, where Claude and Sieg faced Relius and Ignis alone.

* * *

Ragna slashed at Rachel violently, who just dodged his attacks as if she was dancing an elegant waltz.

"What's the matter, Ragna?" Rachel asked. "You seem rather hasty than usual."

"Shut it, you damn bunny-leech!" Ragna yelled as he tried to strike down the vampire.

"Mother! Please stop this!" Alicia said.

"Ragna!" Saya yelled. "Stop it! Why the hell do you have to fight anyway!?"

"Stay out of this, Saya," Ragna yelled. "It was time that I teach this arrogant witch a thing or two about 'respect'!"

"I would love to see you try," Rachel said as she launched some cannon shots, setting up three rods.

"Sword Iris!"

The rods suddenly set off one by one, making Ragna have to dodge them, until he ran into the third one, where Rachel shocked him.

"Gaaaaugh!" Ragna yelled as he got shocked.

"Brother!" Jin yelled from the audience.

He was about to get in, but Bang stopped him.

"Get out of my way, obstacle!" he growled at the ninja.

"You should not interfere with the battle of others, Jin Kisaragi," Bang said.

"Why the hell do I need you preaching to me?!" Jin yelled.

"Do you not trust Ragna the Bloodedge?"

"What!?"

"Ragna the Bloodedge may be a criminal," Bang said. "But he is indeed a great warrior. He will not fall that easily."

"You're damn right I won't!" Ragna yelled.

Jin looked to his brother.

"I don't need you effin' babysitting me, you goddamn brat!" Ragna yelled. "I'm gonna teach this twisted blood-sucking rabbit-bitch a thing or two about respect!"

"Such language, Ragna," Rachel said disappointedly. "It looks like I will have to teach you some manners."

"Can it!" Ragna yelled as he drove his sword to the ground. "Dead Spike!"

He released a dark energy from the sword shaped like a beast's head that attacked Rachel, but she just flew up with a sudden gust of wind and floated in the air.

"You annoying bitch..." Ragna growled.

"Impish Gysophila."

She summoned a pumpkin that floated in the air as she floated down.

"Tiny Lobelia."

She shot out some more projectiles to the ground. As Ragna was going to stop her, the sudden wind in his direction shot the pumpkin at him, interrupting his movement.

"Gah! Damn annoying–!" Ragna muttered.

"BADEN-BADEN LILY!"

Rachel wore Nago like a cape as she rose into the air and released an immense lightning that struck upon Ragna, igniting the other lightning rods as well.

"TEMPEST DAHLIA!"

Rachel summoned a gust of wind that began to hurl large projectiles at Ragna while he was shocked, where large bats, pumpkins, and a giant frog rammed into him.

"Gah!" Ragna muttered as he crashed along the ground.

"Brother!" Jin cried.

"Ragna!" Saya cried.

"What's the matter, Ragna?" Rachel asked. "Weren't you going to teach me a 'thing or two about respect'?"

"Can it!" Ragna yelled as he got back up, seething with rage.

"...You must calm down about them," Rachel said.

"What the hell're you–!" Ragna yelled.

"Kain and Noel are on your mind, aren't they?" Rachel asked.

"!? S-So...!" Ragna muttered.

"You must focus on the task at hand," Rachel said as she shot another cannon shot at Ragna.

He slashed it back, but was shocked by a frog that was behind him.

"Gah! Damn it!" Ragna yelled. "Like I need you to tell me what I already know!"

"Then why don't you?" Rachel asked.

"Kh! Shut up!" Ragna yelled as he raced towards her.

"CARNAGE SCISSOR!"

Ragna dashed at Rachel and drove his sword at Rachel, but Rachel put her umbrella on the ground.

"This is the end," Rachel said as she created a barrier around her. As Ragna hit the barrier, he was suddenly lifted up into the air, as a large cross covered in thorns appeared behind her.

"**CLOWNISH CALENDULA!"**

Rachel struck down a massive lightning bolt, finishing off Ragna in one strike.

"Guaaaaagh!" he yelled as he fell.

"Brother!" Jin yelled.

"Ragna!" Saya yelled.

"...You are letting your emotions cloud your thoughts," Rachel said. "If you let them cloud your decisions, then you will lose more than what is in front of you. You must trust your allies, or Learn that, fool."

As she approached Ragna, a claw suddenly shot out and grabbed Rachel.

"Wha-!?" Rachel yelled.

"...Quit bossing me around," Ragna growled. "...Bunny leech..."

'_How did he-!?' _Rachel thought.

"DEVOURED BY DARKNESS!"

Ragna bombarded Rachel with a storm of dark tendrils that overwhelmed her, blowing her away.

"Madam!" Valkenhayn yelled.

"Mother!" Alicia exclaimed.

"Princess!" Nago and Gii cried.

As Rachel fell, Nago and Gii raced to cushion her fall, as she crushed their delicate and light bodies. As Rachel got back up, Ragna looked down upon Rachel.

"Don't underestimate me, bitch," Ragna said flatly. "I'm not that much of an idiot. "

"Why you-!" Valkenhayn yelled, but Rachel stopped her. "!? Madam!?"

"There is no need, Valkenhayn," Rachel said.

"Madam..."

Rachel walked up to Ragna.

"What..." Ragna said. "If you're gonna talk smack about me again, then you can–!"

She suddenly smiled to him, catching the red swordsman off guard.

"So you did manage to learn something, Ragna," Rachel said happily.

"? The hell's that supposed to mean?" Ragna asked.

""It means what it means," Rachel said coldly. "You must be an idiot to not understand that much."

"Wha-!? The hell's that supposed to mean, Rabbit!" Ragna yelled.

"Valkenhayn," Rachel said, ignoring Ragna. "I would like some more tea. Alicia, would you like some?"

"Eh!? Ah...yes...thank you..." Alicia said, rather confused by Rachel's sudden change from being passionate to being cold as Rachel walked away.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Ragna yelled. "You goddamn evil, twisted, blood-sucking rabbit!"

"Such foul language, Ragna," Rachel said. "And here I thought you have matured a little."

She sighed as Valkenhayn prepared her and Alicia a cup of tea.

"It looks like I was wrong to believe that," Rachel said disappointedly. "What are you going to do about this, Ragna?"

"Why the hell do I have to do anything!?"

"Um..."

"What!?"

Ragna turned to Alicia angrily.

"If you want," Alicia said. "I can show you their current situation."

"You can do that!?" Ragna yelled.

"With my shadow hole, yes," Alicia said. "As long as Kain is still alive, I can create a hole that can view his actions."

Alicia snapped her fingers, where a hole appeared. Ragna quickly looked into the hole, where Kain appeared.

"Kain!" Ragna exclaimed.

The girls quickly gathered near Ragna.

"Brother!" Saya exclaimed.

"Is he alright?" Hikari asked.

As everyone gathered around, Jin seemed to show a grimace as he eventually went to see the hole.

* * *

Claude kept ramming Relius with his cogs, but Relius only dodged them, and returned the favor.

"Gaugh!" Claude muttered.

"Is that it?" Relius asked. "Pathetic..."

Claude glowered at Relius as he got up. Sieg tried to go to help him, but Ignis got in his way.

"It's hard to believe that you made such a fine piece of work," Relius said "...and yet you are this weak. Well I guess you can't judge a book by its cover..."

"Quiet!" Claude yelled, but the pain got to him.

"Don't push yourself, boy," Relius said. "You're already at your limits. Why push yourself any further?"

"Why!?" Claude yelled. "Because I need to stop you!"

"And why's that?" Relius asked. "It's not any of your business, 'outsider'."

"'Outsider'?" Claude asked.

"Indeed, 'outsider'," Relius said. "You came from the future, have you not? Then don't you realize that your actions here have a possibility of altering your timeline?"

Claude looked a bit surprised, but thought about it. Relius was right. They were from the future. Their actions here could cause tremendous rifts in their timeline. The future that they know and love could be gone for all they know.

But then again...

"...It doesn't matter anymore," Claude said. "We all knew the risks. And it doesn't matter if the future changed or not. Heck, it could be better now."

"Really?" Relius asked. "And just how could it be better?"

"Well..." Claude said. "Kain could have never been shunned for who he was...we could've been stronger...and Sieg could have never been killed…"

Relius stood silent, then sighed.

"So you're only fighting for your friends' sake?" he asked. "No wonder you're weak."

"What?" Claude asked.

"Fighting for the sake of someone is pointless," Relius said. "I could've sworn that I said this to someone else...but nonetheless. Fighting for someone's sake is just simply putting their own regards and wills against your own. You cannot find your true self if you refrain your own will. If you don't fight with your own will, then you might as well be an empty puppet for all I care."

"...what do you know...?" Claude asked.

"? What was that?" Relius asked.

"What the hell do you know!?" Claude yelled. "You don't even see humans as 'humans'! You even turned your own wife and daughter into puppets, and you don't even care about Father!? Your own son!?"

"Your point?" Relius asked rather bored.

"Because you don't see people as people," Claude growled. "You would never understand the pain of those around you...their feelings...their sufferings...and the regret it brings you when you lose them..."

"Get on with it," Relius said annoyed.

"You would never know the pain it brings you of denying one's will for the sake of your own!" Claude yelled. "Because you only treat them like 'objects', you can never understand that! You think their objects, so you can just do whatever you want, and feel nothing, but in reality...humans aren't objects! Their humans! Irreplaceable people who will never come back!"

"And how would you know this?" Relius asked.

Claude strained himself before answering him.

"Because..." Claude said. "I know this from experience...first hand..."

Sieg managed to push Ignis off and return to Claude's side. As he looked up to Sieg, Claude had a rather sad face.

"...I see..." Relius said. "The human that is the core to Sieg...you killed him, didn't you?"

Claude looked up. He didn't reply.

"Ah..." Relius said. "I see...you say so much about fighting for someone else's sake because you only want to not repeat the mistake that you made. You don't want to deny someone else's will because you're afraid that it will kill them."

Claude looked shocked. He still didn't respond. He couldn't.

"...I guess I'm on the right track," Relius said. "But if that's the case, then you truly are fighting for yourself."

"What!?" Claude yelled.

"You say you're fighting for their sakes," Relius said. "But really, you're fighting so that you can run from the reality that haunts you ever so heavily. You never truly thought of whether your friend wanted you to bear that burden. So in the end, you're denying their will."

"I-I'm not!" Claude yelled.

"Don't deny yourself," Relius said. "In the end, you and I are alike. We both live and manipulate everyone, even ourselves for our own sakes. Nothing more, nothing less."

Claude backed up a little, shuddering, as Relius walked up to him.

"Am I wrong?" Relius asked.

As he approached Claude, Sieg suddenly grabbed Relius' hand.

"...You..." Relius said.

"...Even though..." a robotic and rusty voice said. "...he is nothing...like you..."

"What!?" Relius blurted.

"Huh!?" Claude exclaimed.

Sieg managed to push Relius back and returned to Claude's side.

"Sieg..." Claude said, amazed, but Sieg only glanced at him silently.

"The puppet talked...?" Relius asked as he walked back. "How is that possible...? Is this a side effect from the soul...? Amazing...if I could harvest their souls, then I may be able to get a similar result..."

Sieg suddenly grabbed Relius and lifted him up.

"Wha-!?" he yelled.

Ignis went to save him, but Sieg struck Ignis down with his other arm, making it disappear.

"I won't let you," Claude said. "Hurt anyone else again!"

Claude raced up and created a field under Relius as Sieg slammed him on it. The filed distorted the gravity around Relius, as cogs trapped him. Sieg created a magic circle that surrounded Relius, binding him and lifting him up into the air.

"I command you in the name of Siegfried Mercury..." a robotic voice said. "Releasing restriction zero...engaging link to the Boundary..."

Energy charged into Sieg's core, as magic circles started to compress around Relius

"!? This is...!" Relius yelled.

"You who protect the gate..." it commanded. "Unbind the nine locks that seal what lies beneath. I hereby seek... The power of the Great Magister Nine! Infinite Gravity!"

"What!?"

When he was done, Sieg's wings shot into the ground as the core started to open.

"This is the power of our bond!" Claude yelled. **"NOVE IRA CANNONE!"**

Sieg's core and helmet opened up to reveal Sieg's human self, as the core in his chest released all of the energy it stored at Relius in nine tremendous blasts of intense energy. It shattered the compression right before it could flatten Relius as it shot the puppeteer down in a storm of fatal strikes.

"Im...possible..." Relius moaned as he fell.

Sieg cooled down as his wings came back up from the ground. His soulless eyes glowed as the core and helmet closed up.

* * *

Hakumen slammed his sword at Hazama, as Hazama slammed his foot against the blade. The two flew back, as Hazama launched his chain at Hakumen. Hakumen struck down the snake, but not before Hazama flew at him.

"Wind Serpent's Fang!"

Hazama dropped a backwards ax kick at Hakumen, slamming his head into the ground.

"Devouring Fang!"

As he got back up, Hazama sent a snake-like wave at Hakumen, launching Hakumen back into the air. But as Hazama was about to slam his heel over Hakumen, Hakumen kicked Hazama's knee, making him lose his balance.

"Whoa!" Hazama exclaimed.

As he fell, Hakumen stomped on him, pinning him to the ground.

"Gueh! Why you-!" Hazama muttered.

"Hades!"

Hakumen quickly dashed at Hazama and uppercutted him, forcing Hazama back into the air. Hazama got back his balance, and he shot a chain far from Hakumen to the ground and reeled himself to the ground.

"Tch...Persistent asshole..." Hazama muttered.

Hakumen said nothing but held his sword up once more. He dashed to Hazama, then stabbed him in the gut.

"Guagh!" Hazama muttered.

Hakumen drove Hazama into a wall, crashing through the lab. As Hakumen was going to stab his face, Hazama kicked him in the gut and backed off. Hakumen recovered, but not before Hazama poured something into a beaker, where a smoke started to overflow the room quickly, and rendering Hakumen blind.

"Kh! Impudent..." Hakumen said as he tried to clear the smoke, but Hazama suddenly kicked him in the face from the smoke. "Guagh!"

Hazama then grabbed Hakumen's mask and slammed it into the ground.

"Don't you ever get tired, Hakumen?" Hazama asked tauntingly.

"Not until I slay you from this world," Hakumen only responded as he got back up against Hazama's grasp and pushed him back.

As Hazama stepped back, Hakumen drove his scabbard underneath Hazama and flipped him. Hakumen flung his sword at Hazama, but Hazama kicked back at the sword, sending him safely away from him.

"You know, I'm pretty surprised at you, Hakumen," Hazama said. "I would've never believed that you of all people would save the brat. I mean, he is the Black Beast. Knowing you, you would just go off and try to kill him."

Hakumen said nothing.

"So what's with the change of heart?" Hazama asked.

"...I want to see," Hakumen said. "...If he truly is worth entrusting our fates to."

"Are you sure you should be making big gambles like that?" Hazama asked.

"He is much better than you, at least," Hakumen said. "You are true evil. He was only cursed to walk the path that he is on."

"So what're you gonna do if he goes berserk then?" Hazama asked.

"Then I shall slay him," Hakumen simply responded. "If he does, then that means he was too weak for the task at hand. He was too weak to be a 'human'."

"What the hell're you talking about?" Hazama asked. "...well...I guess it's none of my problems if the brat has a hissy fit."

As Hazama readied his knives once more, Hakumen readied his sword, until something from Hazama's pocket rang.

"? Oh, pardon me," Hazama said as he picked up a transceiver. "Yes? ...I see..."

Hazama put away his transceiver.

"Didn't you dodge the bullet," Hazama said as he headed to Relius. "Our boss just called. She wants us to return to base, so we'll be taking our leave."

"You're going to flee in battle!?" Hakumen yelled. "You coward!"

"Call me whatever you want," Hazama said. "But I do not want to piss off my boss right now. It's that time of the month you know..."

Hazama went over to Relius and kicked him a little.

"Colonel! Wake up!" Hazama exclaimed. "The Imperator wants us to report back!"

"I can hear you, fool," Relius said as he got up in pain.

"So someone could get the upper hand on you, eh?" Hazama asked, as he turned to Claude and Sieg. "Bravo, lad."

Sieg got in front of Claude.

"...Anyway," Hazama said. "Come on, Relius. Let's get out of here."

"...So we're just going to leave the jester here?" Relius asked.

"Oh please," Hazama said as he looked at Envy. "He's not going anywhere."

Hakumen turned to Envy who was being attacked by an enraged Iris.

"What in the-!? Hakumen exclaimed.

As Hakumen was watching them, Hazama and Relius disappeared.

* * *

Envy struggled to dodge Iris' wildfire attacks as she shot at him at random.

"Kh! The power increased!?" Envy exclaimed as he faced Iris.

She had a murderous glare at Envy as she kept shooting intense lasers at him at random angles.

"The Aegis..." Envy said. "It's resonating with her anger!?"

"Raaaaaggh!" Iris screamed as she kept firing at Envy.

He set up a barrier to block her attacks, but he could barely hold his own.

"Tch! She's going berserk!" Envy said as he ducked, barely dodging the one blast that broke through his defenses. "At this rate, I won't last."

"You'll pay!" Iris screamed as she flung her Aegis at Envy.

He dodged it, but the tip of his hat was cut off as the Aegis cut through steel pillars that decorated the hallways before it returned to Iris.

"Damn it! You need to shut up, girl!" Envy yelled as she managed to run up to her. "DEMISE-!"

Envy attempted to stab Iris with a psychic sword, but Iris just slammed her shield in his gut.

"Guogh..." Envy muttered as he got back.

"Take this!" Iris yelled in anger as she shot a tremendous laser at Envy, punishing him to the wall.

"Gagh..." Envy muttered as he felt the pain of Iris' anger.

Kain, Noel and Makoto only watched Iris' fury in disbelief.

"Iris...is beating that guy..." Makoto said. "We can win this!"

"Yeah...but..." Noel said. "It's like...she's not herself..."

"Of course she's not herself..." Kain said. "He just killed her parents..."

"What!?" they yelled.

"You two were too busy with your battles so you wouldn't have noticed," Kain said. "But her parents defended her from Envy's attacks with the cost of their lives."

"You can't be serious..." Makoto said. "So she..."

"Iris..." Noel said.

Itsuki and Burai managed to regroup with the rest while Iris was assaulting Envy.

"Yo, what's up with Iris!?" Burai exclaimed.

"Her shield is going berserk..." Itsuki said. "Is this a side effect of the Arma?"

"...The Arma resonates with its user's 'soul'," Kain explained. "Whenever there is a shift in the user's emotion, then the Arma will react to it and adjust itself to resonate with the user."

"So the shield's reacting with Iris' anger?" Burai asked.

"Probably," Kain said. "But she isn't used to the Aegis...since she's extremely angry at Envy, the Aegis is adjusting to it at a rapid pace, making it so that both her soul and Arma are in sync. But..."

Iris rammed into Envy wildly, giving him no time to recover from the laser.

"At this rate," Kidou said. "She'll destroy herself before she beats Envy..."

"What!? Then we need to stop her!" Makoto yelled.

As she rushed to help Iris, Claude stopped her.

"Calm down, Mother," Claude said.

"But we need to–!" Makoto yelled.

"Do you really think that you can stop her with reason?" Claude asked.

"!?"

"...Her parents were killed right in front of her..." Claude said. "Do you really think that she'll be calm enough to listen to anyone right now?"

Makoto looked shocked, but it was true. Iris wouldn't be able to listen to anyone right now.

"And she has enough power to pulverize Envy," Claude said. "We won't be able to stop her at that state..."

"So what do we do?" Noel asked.

Kagura looked as Iris was shooting at Envy.

"...The only way now," Kagura said. "Is for someone that Iris truly cares for to stop her."

"Eh? Someone she truly cares for?" Noel asked.

They all looked at Kain.

"Figured," Kain said as he got up. "...Better go comfort her..."

* * *

Envy got back up as Iris continued her unstable assault.

"Annoying...little...bitch..." Envy strained, before Iris continued to ram at his gut.

"Die..." Iris said angrily. "Die...die...die...die die die DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!"

Iris just kept slamming Envy with her shield over and over, until finally, Envy snapped.

"Quit this shit already..." Envy growled. "You...ANNOYING PIECE OF SHIT!"

Envy's sudden scream of anger surprised Iris, giving him the opportunity to push Iris back. He suddenly rocketed at Iris, grabbed her and slammed her to the ground. She tried to get back up, but Envy stabbed her with a psychic sword.

"DEMISE JUGGERNAUT!"

Envy drove his foot against the sword, driving Iris into a wall. As Iris got back up, Envy already shot a sword into the sky.

"DESPAIR RAIN!"

From the sky, rained down a storm of psychic swords upon Iris. She managed to defend herself with the Aegis, but Envy rushed up to Envy, kicked the shield away, then trapped her in a gyroscope like bind trance.

"GYRO MUTILATION!"

Envy proceeded to shoot Iris with psychic energy from his hand, until he aimed them at Iris' head.

"Just because you're somehow able to beat me..." Envy said. "Doesn't mean you have the right to get all cocky, you bratty bitch!"

Envy shot Iris in the head, shattering the trance and Iris.

"!? Shit..." Envy said to himself. "I let myself get angry..."

As she fell, she angrily got up, but the Aegis suddenly disappeared.

"Huh!? Why...?" Iris asked. "Why did it...!? Come on...get out here already...!"

"So the Aegis refused to obey its master..." Envy said. "Well, I guess there's no blaming it...frankly I never expected her to be the angry bitch...but I guess I dodged a bullet there..."

Envy fell to the ground exhausted.

"Even I couldn't handle an Arma going berserk..." Envy said. "...not at this state at least..."

Envy looked up to see Kain approaching them.

"Took you long enough..." Envy said.

"And whose fault was that?" Kain asked.

"I guess it's my own fault..." Envy chuckled.

As he made a move, Kain drew his sword.

"Oh please, I'm not going to fight you," Envy said. "Even I can't handle this much in one day...I'll take my leave..."

"What about the NOL?" Kain asked.

"Ah, let them wait," Envy said. "Frankly, I don't really care about what they do."

As such, Envy waved his hand lazily as he teleported out of there. Kain, relieved, then faced Iris.

"K-Kain...?" Iris asked.

"You done?" he asked.

* * *

Iris suddenly grabbed Kain by the collar.

"Wha-!? Iris!" Noel exclaimed.

"Why..." Iris asked. "Why did you let him escape!?"

Kain only gave her a cold stare before pushing her back.

"Iris..." Kain said.

"He killed Mom and Dad!" Iris yelled. "He deserves to die!"

"Calm down..."

"Didn't he do horrible things in your time too!?" Iris went on. "So why would you let him escape!? Aren't you supposed to stop him!?"

"I said calm down."

"You wouldn't understand the pain of losing your parents, would you...!" Iris exclaimed. "You have your parents back in the future, and you have them now!"

"Iris!" Burai exclaimed.

"You don't understand this pain at all!" Iris yelled.

But before anyone could stop her, Kain suddenly punched her on the head, surprising everyone.

"...Huh?" Iris asked.

"...draw the Aegis..." Kain said.

"Huh?" she asked.

"I said draw the Aegis," Kain said in a more commanding and threatening tone.

Scared, Iris tried to deploy the Aegis, but it didn't show.

"Huh...?" she asked as she felt like her whole heart just sank.

"What's the matter?" Kain asked. "Do it."

Iris tried desperately to summon her weapon, but it never showed.

"Why...?" she asked. "Why won't it show up?"

"Because it doesn't recognize you as its master anymore," Kain said.

"Huh?"

"Isn't your Aegis supposed to be your symbol of wanting to protect your friends?" Kain asked. "Then it won't obey someone who's not even protecting anything, but instead trying to kill someone."

"But-!" Iris yelled.

"Heh! You think just because you gained it," Kain asked. "It would just listen to you so easily?"

Everyone looked confused.

"You may have created it," Kain said. "...No...It's because you created it, it wants to recognize you as its rightful master. But it won't as long as you don't even know what you're fighting for."

"I-I..." Iris said, but Kain placed his hand on her head.

"You're still too naïve, kid," Kain said. "To let yourself get lost so easily..."

Kain pointed his Arma at Iris.

"Your Arma isn't just some tool that you can use," Kain simply said. "It's a representation of your 'soul'. So? How do you wanna show yourself?"

Iris couldn't say anything. She was speechless. Kain only groaned as Iris looked like as if all hope was lost.

"Don't you wanna cry?" Kain asked. "Your parents just died."

She looked back up to Kain.

"Cry," Kain said. "Just let it all out."

Iris' eyes widened at Kain, but then tears started to fall down from them, as she suddenly embraced Kain.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Iris cried in Kain's chest. He simply just rubbed her head as she let out all of her pent-up sadness and grief.

"...Alicia..." Kain said. "You're watching this, aren't you?"

Kain glared at a black hole that was high above his head.

"Honestly," Alicia's voice said from the hole. "I can never tell whether you're good or bad sometimes..."

"Like I care?" Kain asked. "Just teleport us back to Requiem. We're all tired from this shit."

"Will do."

After that sentence, black holes appeared under everyone except for Kagura.

"Hey, wait!" he yelled.

"Don'cha worry there, Kagura Mutsuki," Kidou said. "You'll be seein' us sooner than ya' think."

With that, they all dropped into the holes, as they disappeared. Rather confused and tired, Kagura walked away. A ringtone let out as he rummaged through his pocket to find a transceiver. He answered it.

"Yo...Hibiki?" Kagura asked.

"_I finally reached you, General..." _the voice from the other line answered. _"Where were you? Didn't you say you were just headed to the NOL Main headquarters?"_

"Sorry, a lot happened," Kagura answered. "I'll be back."

"_...did something happen?" _the voice known as Hibiki asked.

"Nah, nothin' much," Kagura said. "But..."

"_But?"_

"I think that we may be heading into something big..." Kagura said. "Bigger than we expected."

"_Let's just hope that it's not as big as your little plan," _Hibiki answered.

"Ha ha ha! I sure hope so!" Kagura said as he headed out of the NOL Headquarters.

* * *

Envy teleported back into the dark room with the huge seithr orb. He breathed heavily as the tanks of Kain's blood and his core sat there.

"That was a little rough..." Envy said. "But...at least I managed to get all the materials..."

Envy lifted his hand, as the blood of Kain started to leak out and flow into the seithr orb.

"Now..." Envy said with malice in his tone. "Let's finally begin...shall we?"

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** The chapter may be shorter than usual, but I'm positive that it fits well with the flow of the story, and I'm pretty sure a short chapter like this is more refreshing than compared to the behemoth that was the last chapter. Well, it hasn't been a good day for Iris, that's for sure. And Envy starts his ulterior motive. And did Sieg just talk there?

Until next time!


	21. Chapter 21: Emotions

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 21: Emotions**

* * *

**AN:** I'm back! Sorry for the delay. Exams, account errors, and writer's block. The bane of my fanfic writing existence. Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter 21!

* * *

_One day. One freakin' day after gaining my memories..._

_And what do I get?_

_Getting kidnapped by an obvious molester._

_Getting mutilated by man's worst atrocity._

_And Iris might as well be completely demoralized after all this shit._

_Damn it...just damn it..._

* * *

Several black holes suddenly appeared along the vast rose garden in Rachel's castle. Catching everyone's attention, from the hole emerged everyone that went to save Kain and Iris.

"Kain! Noel!" Ragna exclaimed.

They ran up to the group in relief. The group all had tired expressions on their faces, which Ragna took notice of. They also noticed that Iris was still buried in Kain's chest, much to the girls' dismay. As Ragna was going to ask what happened, Kain stopped him.

"Yeah, yeah," Kain said annoyed. "We can catch up later...for now Iris needs some rest."

"? I guess," Alicia said. "Valkenhayn, is there another open room?"

"If I recall, there is one vacant room," Valkenhayn said. "I do believe it would be suitable for Miss Iris."

"Then please transport her there," Kain said.

"Very well, Master Kain," Valkenhayn said.

Kain attempted to let go of Iris, but Iris shuddered and gripped Kain in fear.

"Miss Iris?" Valkenhayn asked.

"Iris..." Kain said as he got Iris' grip off of him. "C'mon...you need sleep."

"Kain..." Iris said.

"We can talk about it tomorrow," Kain said. "Now c'mon..."

Reluctantly, Iris let go of Kain and followed Valkenhayn to the room, while not noticing the girls' glare at her. As they left out of sight, Kain sighed.

"The girl's been through one hell of a day," he said.

"What happened?" Jubei asked.

The rescue party had a grim look on their faces, as Kain only scratched his head.

"...Iris just witnessed her parents getting killed in front of her," Kain said.

This took a lot of people by shock. Especially Alicia, who suddenly sprung out of her seat the moment he mentioned that. Kain took notice to that.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Mary asked.

"Hell if I knew," Kain said. "I can't do anything about her pain. This is something that time has to deal with."

"Well in case you haven't realized," Kokonoe remarked coldly. "But we don't have any damn time on us."

"I know that," Kain said. "So for now we have to–"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kain suddenly started to faint.

"Wha-!? Kain!" Azrael yelled as he caught him.

"Brother!" Saya yelled.

"Damn..." Kain panted. "Even if I am technically immortal...getting mutilated still hurt like a bitch..."

"Mutilated?" Noel asked. "What happened before we intervened?"

"Well..." Kain said casually. "Apparently in my Beast form, I can't get killed even if my heart's ripped out."

"W-What?" Noel asked confused.

"Explain," Jin said coldly.

"...Envy..." Kain said. "...is going to resurrect the Black Beast."

"What!?" they yelled.

"Explain yourself," Jin demanded.

"He's going to do what Kokonoe was thinking of doing," Kain explained. "Turn the Black Beast into a tamed weapon to use against his enemies. And with my core and my blood, he can do it."

"How's that possible!?" Makoto yelled. "I mean, resurrect the Black beast!?"

"Well, he did manage to make it happen once," Itsuki pointed out. "And with a better base to work with, he is now able to make another one. And a better one at that."

"So, what's the plan?" Burai asked.

"I say we just break in and beat the shit outta Envy!" Makoto yelled.

"How?" Claude asked. "We don't even know where to look."

"What about that room with the huge ball of sei-," Mary said, but stopped, remembering what happened at said room.

She looked at Litchi worried, but Litchi reassured her with a hand gesture.

"I'm fine..." Litchi said, going back into topic. "It does seem to be the best possible place that he would be."

"Huge ball of seithr?" Kain asked. "Well, I guess that's his fuel source..."

"So we attack there?" Hikari asked.

"I guess..." Ragna said. "But now..."

"Indeed," Bang said. "Sir Kain requires rest. He cannot fight at this rate."

"Hmph," Jin scoffed. "How pathetic. You're supposed to be stronger than that."

"Heh...You try getting mutilated," Kain shot back.

As Jin only rolled his eyes, Azrael helped Kain back to his room.

"Damn, you take this shit seriously," Azrael said.

"What? You're not happy that I'm back?" Kain asked. "What a friend you are..."

Azrael only chuckled as they left. As Jin looked the other way, Burai only nudged at him.

"Why don't you just say that you were worried about him?" Burai asked.

"Who ever said I was?" Jin asked.

"Sheesh, you're not honest," Burai said. "C'mon, if you're not open, then you won't get any babes."

"What did you say?" Jin asked menacingly as he brandished his sword.

"Quit it, Burai," Itsuki said from behind.

"Don't worry, I got this," Burai said. "I got the perfect way to KO Jin."

"Huh?" Itsuki asked confused.

"Hey Jin! I'm surprised you still like Kain!" Burai exclaimed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jin asked.

With a huge grin, Burai quickly ran up to Jin and whispered something in his ear, surprisingly making Jin stop.

"All...sorts...of things...?" Jin suddenly asked.

After a few seconds, Burai stepped back.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

Jin suddenly shrieked in horror, literally spewed blood and fell to the ground.

"What the-!?" Ragna yelled.

"Major!?" Noel shrieked.

"Holy shit! Mr. Kisaragi blew up! Literally!" Makoto yelled.

"Father!" Hikari and Itsuki cried as they tended to their white-eyed bleeding-from-the-mouth father.

Burai only started to break down laughing.

"What happened!?" Hikari cried.

"What the hell did you tell him!?" Itsuki yelled.

"Oh I told him how Kain 'came to be'," Burai said while holding in his laughing. "I told ya' it was the perfect way to KO him!"

Realizing the meaning within the sentence, Ragna and Noel quickly blushed, as Itsuki slammed his fist into Burai's face.

"Are you an idiot!?" Itsuki yelled angrily.

"Wait! Wait a minute! My bad! I give! I give!" Burai yelled as Itsuki continued to pummel him. "It was a joke! It was a joke damn it!"

The others laughed while a few just sighed in disappointment. Out of this, a few, namely Platinum and Tao, were sleeping during the entire event.

While Burai was getting pummeled, Saya and Mary nodded to each other, and quickly got Hikari and Alicia.

"Wha-!?" Hikari said.

"Huh!?" Alicia said.

As they were quickly whisked away to the castle, Burai managed to push Itsuki off of him.

"Hey where'd they go?" Burai asked.

"What? Huh?" Itsuki asked.

* * *

Inside the castle, the four girls were gathered in the hall.

"Kain's finally back," Saya said. "So let's go according to plan!"

"Shouldn't we let him rest a little?" Hikari asked.

"It's fine! He'll get back up in a few minutes anyway!" Saya answered back.

"That's right!" Mary said. "Now's the perfect opportunity to strike! Since everyone's outside, no one will be able to get in the way either!"

"I-I guess..." Hikari said regrettably.

"So, do you all know your plans?" Saya asked.

They nodded their heads, all except for Alicia, who seemed to have her mind focused elsewhere.

"Alicia?" Saya asked.

"Huh? Oh, what was it?" Alicia asked.

"Do you know your plan, whatever it is?" Saya asked.

"Oh, yes," Alicia said.

Saya looked confused, but shrugged it off.

"So...what was our plan again?" Alicia asked.

Saya looked bewildered at her.

"Are you feeling okay?" Saya asked.

"Huh?" Alicia asked. "Why would you say that?"

"Because," Saya said. "Usually you'd be the one whose one step ahead, and here you are just spacing out."

"I'm fine," Alicia said. "I'm not going to let you get a lead on him."

"Is that so?" Saya asked rather mischievously. "I knew I couldn't underestimate you."

'_Originally, the plan was to work together to get Kain's attention,'_ Hikari thought. _'But all of us know that that's not gonna happen.'_

'_Especially if Saya's the one who came up with the idea...'_ Mary thought. _'She's probably just planning to get the jump on everyone and get a lead! Well that ain't happening!'_

'_...Is what the others are probably thinking...smart bitches...'_ Saya thought. _'Well, at least they looked like they were going with my plan to work together to attract Brother. But I gave an alternative though...what was wrong with that?'_

'_It was either that or rape him...' _Alicia thought. _'And that's just...wrong! Well maybe Saya could pull it off if she wanted to, but there are issues on morale there! We can't just rape him, so that will force him to take responsibility and be with us. Can we? Anyway...'_

'_I need to make him interested in me,' _Hikari thought. _'By doing the unexpected.'_

'_If I do something out-of-character,' _Mary thought. _'Then he'll have to notice!'_

'_And once he does,' _Saya thought. _'Then it's the perfect opportunity to strike!'_

'_I won't let such a golden opportunity escape...' _Alicia thought.

'_In other words...'_

They all glared at each other. Tension filled the air as it was as if a raging fire was burning in the background.

'_I need them to mess up first...' _they thought in unison. _'Then make my move afterwards!'_

No one would want to interfere with this for their own safety.

* * *

"Here you are, Miss Iris," Valkenhayn said.

He opened the door to an elegant room. He led Iris to the large bed, where she sat down there.

"You may rest here," Valkenhayn said. "If there is anything you need, I shall be of assistance."

"How's Kain?" Iris suddenly asked worried.

"Master Kain is resting in his own quarters," Valkenhayn said. "You and he have gone through a rather tiring day."

"...I see..." Iris said sadly.

"You should not feel any burden on yourself," Valkenhayn said. "You are not at fault here."

"...I guess..." Iris said.

Even if it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but feel guilty. She got under the covers and sunk her head into the pillow as Valkenhayn left, leaving her all alone. She said nothing, but tried to deploy the Aegis again, but no luck.

"Aegis..." Iris said. "So you won't come out..."

With a depressed look on her face, she laid back on the bed.

"...Mom...Dad..." Iris murmured. "What am I gonna do now?"

She looked up at the ceiling. She stared blankly at the darkness that consumed it. She reached out for it, but couldn't grasp anything.

"...Mom...Dad..." Iris said. "...I'm sorry..."

* * *

Azrael kicked the door open, where he led Kain to his room. As soon as they reached the bed, Kain quickly crashed into it.

"It's been so long since I've seen an actual bed..." Kain moaned.

"That must've been one hell of a fight," Azrael said. "Next time, bring me along."

"I guess you would've made good help," Kain chuckled.

"Damn right I would've," Azrael said.

"...Hey, Azrael..." Kain said. "Why'd you decide to travel with us, anyway?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"I don't really see how any of this could be beneficial to you," Kain said. "So why did you decide to come along?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Azrael asked.

Kain looked confused.

"I tagged along because I thought it'd be more fun," Azrael said. "It beats taking orders from those pathetic pieces of shit back at Sector Seven."

"Really? That's it?" Kain asked.

"Well there's that too," Azrael said. "You were the only person I ever met that I lost to."

"You're kidding," Kain said.

"Plus, if I tagged along with you, then stronger prey would show up," Azrael said. "And I was right."

"That feels like you were using me…"

"Don't worry about it," Azrael said. "But, traveling with you was pretty interesting."

"You think so?"

Azrael nodded, then headed out for the door.

"Well, you rest up," Azrael said. "We can't have you get tire out on us."

"Thanks," Kain said.

As Azrael left, Kain lied on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

_Still...where's Akira?_

_It's no doubt that Envy has him._

_But, he hasn't shown._

_Knowing Envy, he would have used him as a distraction against us, or even just showed him to taunt us._

_But why didn't he? It would have made an opening._

_...What the hell is Envy thinking?_

After a few moments of thought, he got up from bed.

"For now," Kain said. "I need some food. Can't think on an empty stomach, at least."

* * *

Outside the castle, everyone was still discussing the issue at hand.

"So what are these 'huge balls of seithr'?" Ragna asked. "Never seen anything like that before."

"It was frickin' huge!" Makoto explained. "It was bigger than the entire castle!"

"And something like that was in Wadatsumi?" Itsuki asked.

"Yes," Tager said. "That was where we first encountered Envy."

"Something that big could be used to recreate the Black Beast," Claude said. "How did he manage to create something like that?"

"Who knows," Burai said. "We don't know shit on Envy to begin with."

"You don't know anything about Envy?" Makoto asked. "Isn't he like public enemy no. 1 in the future?"

"Yeah," Burai said. "But that's it."

"Huh?"

"Envy just suddenly appeared out of nowhere and caused all sorts of shit," Burai explained. "In just 3 months, Envy became the most wanted criminal. And to top it off, within a month, he managed to resurrect the Black Beast."

"How did the NOL react?" Bullet asked.

"They managed to evacuate as many people as possible," Claude said. "But even with the Nox Nyctores, the Black Beast wasn't easy to stop."

"So you guys stopped it instead," Amane said.

"Right," Itsuki said. "Lead by Kain, the team included me, Kidou, Claude, Saya and Alicia."

"Just the six of you?" Carl asked. "But what about us in the future? Didn't we help you?"

"Originally, Kain, Kidou and Alicia faced the Black Beast on their own," Burai said. "But then Itsuki, Claude and Saya barged in and fought the Black Beast."

"So you fought it regardless of 'our' opinions?" Ragna asked.

"Pretty much," Burai said. "If it wasn't for Kain, then the Black Beast might have destroyed the world."

"Kain slayed the beast?" Jubei asked.

"Yep," Kidou said.

"And Envy's trying to recreate something like that in our time?" Noel asked.

"Bingo," Burai said.

"We have to stop him!" Noel exclaimed.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Itsuki asked.

"Why can't we just barge into the area back at Wadatsumi?" Makoto asked.

"A bold move, Miss Makoto," Bang said.

"Envy would probably see that coming," Itsuki said. "And do you really think we can just waltz in there?"

"We can take him!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Are you seriously saying that?" Itsuki asked. "You saw what Envy did."

Indeed, they were no match for Envy when they raided the NOL base. He was able to beat Burai and Itsuki, while putting up a fight against Kain.

"We're no match for him now," Itsuki said. "All we can do is wait for Kain to recover and strike back."

"But we can't just sit here doing nothing!" Makoto protested.

"Then what can we do!?" Itsuki yelled.

"Pathetic..." a voice interrupted.

They turned to see Jin, who had recovered from Burai's 'talk'.

"Mr. Kisaragi!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Father!" Itsuki exclaimed.

"So you're just going to let him have his way and not do anything about it?" Jin asked.

"What are we supposed to do!?" Itsuki shot back.

"At least don't cower like a despicable insect," Jin coldly respond.

"What!?"

The two glared at each other.

"Calm down you two," Claude said. "This isn't the time to be–!"

"Shut it, boy," Jin shot back, then faced Itsuki. "I don't care if you are my son from the future...if you're a coward, then you might should might as well die..."

"Father..." Itsuki said. "...Very well..."

Itsuki pulled out his sword.

"Itsuki!" Claude yelled.

"Don't stop me, Claude," Itsuki said.

"Seriously?" Jin asked, as he gripped his hilt. "You already know the outcome last time."

"Hmph...Do you remember what Kidou said about our powers?" Itsuki asked.

Jin thought about it for a moment, then remembered that Kidou had fixed them.

"...Interesting..." Jin said. "Then show it."

Itsuki held his sword pointing to the sky.

"Complete Releasing Armagus!"

Instead of the usual time-stopping distortion, Itsuki released a huge aura that surrounded him.

"What!?" Jin yelled.

Itsuki only glared at Jin as he brandished his Tsukiusagi katana.

* * *

Kain was roaming the halls of the castle, looking for the kitchen.

"Damn...even 20 years back, this place is hard to navigate," Kain said. "Where the hell's the kitchen again?"

As he walked around, he turned around a corner, and suddenly bumped into someone.

"Gah!"

"Kya!"

As Kain fell back, the person fell back too. As Kain looked up, he saw that it was Hikari.

"Hikari?" Kain asked. "You alright?"

Hikari got back up and brushed herself, but glared at Kain.

"I'm fine," Hikari coldly said.

"Huh?"

Hikari then turned away and walked from him.

"Hikari?" he asked.

"What?" Hikari asked coldly and annoyed. "I have something to deal with, so could you please leave me alone?"

Kain looked confused and a little dumbfounded as Hikari walked away.

"Did I do something to piss her off?" Kain asked. "Hey! Hikari!"

Hikari only glared at Kain as she walked away.

"The hell did I do?"

As Hikari walked away, she tried to hide her smile.

'_He's confused...' _Hikari thought. _'Yes! Just as planned!'_

She did a hidden fist pump as she walked away.

'_If I do something totally out of character,' _Hikari thought. _'Then Kain will be confused...he'll want to know what's wrong...eventually leading him into paranoia and want to find out at any costs...then he'll beg me to forgive him...then using that opportunity...'_

Hikari started to giggle, which led to a rather creepy and lustful giggle. While imagining the end outcome of the 'opportunity', she suddenly realized that Kain was still behind him. She turned to see a rather freaked out Kain, who only slowly walked away, did a 180 degree u-turn, the dashed away from her.

"Wha-Wait!" Hikari cried. "Kain!"

* * *

After practically running across the entire castle, Kain finally found the kitchen.

"Damn...what the hell was that about...?" Kain asked. "But still...she was creepy...God knows what she was thinking off..."

As he walked into the kitchen, he saw Mary cooking.

"Mary?" Kain asked.

Hearing Kain's voice, she turned around, happy to see him.

"Kain!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

As she turned around, she wore a frilly apron, surprising even Kain.

"What the hell're you wearing?" Kain asked.

"What? I can't wear an apron while cooking?" Mary asked.

"I guess not," Kain said.

_Since when does Mary cook? Wait she can cook?_

He looked at the table, which was decorated with juicy, mouth-watering and delicious looking plates of food.

"You made all of this?" Kain asked. "What's the occasion?"

"Well, just figured I make something for you," Mary said.

"For me?"

"Yep," Mary said cheerfully. "I thought you've been through a lot, so I thought you deserved a reward."

"Thanks," Kain said as he took a seat.

Kain found a fork, where he ripped a piece of chicken from the plate in front of him and ate it.

"Wow..." Kain said as he ate the chicken. "This is good!"

"Thanks..." Mary said blushing.

As Kain chowed down on the meal, Mary only blushed as he enjoyed the meal.

'_Hikari probably tried the cold reverse psychology crap or whatever...'_ Mary thought. _'But the best way to a man's heart is through love and compassion. Even in the form of free food."_

"...By the way," Kain said as he was eating. "Are you sure that this is a good idea?"

"Huh?" she asked.

"I mean, is it alright using Rachel's kitchen without asking her?" Kain asked. "Pretty sure Valkenhayn'll get pissed if you're using his food."

"Ah."

And on cue, Valkenhayn walks into the kitchen, where he sees the kitchen completely emptied.

"What in the-!?" he yelled.

"Geh..." Mary gagged.

"Uh oh," Kain said.

* * *

After getting yelled at by Valkenhayn for a few moments, Kain left the kitchen, heading back to his room.

"Well, so much for the free food..." Kain said. "But what was up with the buffet anyway? Never thought that Mary was the cooking type..."

Kain stopped.

"Come to think of it..." Kain said. "Those two were out of character..."

"Isn't it obvious?" a voice asked.

Kain turned to see Alicia from behind.

"Whoa, Alicia..." Kain said. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Now why on earth not?" Alicia asked as she walked towards Kain.

"Don't you think it's a bit rude to sneak up behind someone?" Kain asked.

"You should've been able to detect me anyway, Alicia said as she started to run her finger across his chest.

"...What're you doing?" Kain asked, feeling nervous.

Alicia only giggled as she ran her finger up to his cheek.

"A-Alicia?" Kain asked.

"Is someone nervous?" Alicia asked.

Kain backed up into a wall, as Alicia cornered him. Even Kain couldn't help but blush as Alicia got closer to him.

"Yo, what the hell's wrong with you?" Kain asked.

"Aw...how cute..." Alicia said. "Is someone blushing?"

"Wha- like hell I am!" Kain yelled.

In response, Alicia suddenly wrapped her arms around Kain and brought her face close to her.

"How about now?" Alicia asked lustful.

Kain suddenly became even redder than before.

"What's wrong with you?" Kain asked, panicking.

"Those two did try their best..." Alicia said. "But in the end, they can't compete with our relationship..."

"Relationship?" Kain asked. "Well...I guess since we know each other longer than the others..."

"That's not what I mean..."

Alicia started to bring her face closer and closer to Kain's face.

"Well? How do you feel?"

Alicia brought her lips closer to his lips, until just as they were going to lock lips, Kain suddenly pushed her away.

"I-I-I forgot something in my room!" Kain yelled. "S-So I'll see ya then, okay bye!"

Kain then ran for his life away from Alicia, who only looked a bit disappointed but giggled.

"He never changes," Alicia said. "Well, I guess that part of him is cute..."

Alicia then looked towards the other side of the hallway.

"Now then..." she said in a more serious tone. "There's one more person who needs some guidance..."

* * *

As Kain reached his room, he stopped to catch his breath.

"What the hell!?" he exclaimed. "First Hikari, then Mary, and now Alicia!? What the hell's wrong with everyone!?"

Kain looked back at the hallway, lost in his own confusion.

"...Did I do something?" Kain asked himself.

As he turned to his door, he suddenly stopped.

"Wait..." Kain thought, much to his dismay. "If those three are down...then there should be one more..."

He reluctantly opened the door, where someone suddenly clung on him.

"Brother!" the person yelled cheerfully.

"Of course..."

Kain didn't even have to look to know who that was. After process of elimination, there could only be one person left. He looked to see Saya, who looked up to him happily while squeezing him.

"Why're you in my room?" Kain asked.

"Because I couldn't find you anywhere else," Saya said. "So I figured that I;d just wait in your room and wait for you."

Kain only sighed.

"Well, at least you're acting normal..." he said.

"? What do you mean?" Saya asked.

"Everyone's been acting strange..." Kain said. "Even Alicia..."

'_Figured...' _Saya thought. "Jeez...you're so dense, Brother..."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

Saya poked at Kain's chest.

"You need to realize a girl's feelings," Saya said. "You're always like this."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Saya only sighed as she headed to his bed. She sat on the bed as she patted next to her, gesturing Kain to sit next to her. Confused, Kain sat next to Saya, where she leaned towards him.

"You know, you should feel lucky, Brother," Saya said.

"Huh? Why's that?" Kain asked.

"You have four-five beauties who are in love with you, yet you don't even realize it," Saya said.

"What? Me? No way," Kain said.

Saya only sighed disappointed.

"...So what's wrong with you?" Kain asked.

"? What's that supposed to mean?" Saya asked.

"Usually in a situation like this," Kain said. "You would try something on me right about now."

"Oh, so you want me to try something?" Saya asked mischievously.

"No..." Kain said. "Personally I'd like a 'normal' sister...but it's pretty obvious that something's on your mind."

Saya looked a little disappointed, but did start thinking.

"...so...?" Saya asked. "What is she to you?"

"Huh?"

"I'm talking about that Iris chick," Saya demanded.

"Iris?" Kain asked.

"What is she to you!?" Saya demanded. "Huh!? Do you like her or something!?"

"W-What!?" Kain yelled, blushing. "I-It's nothing like that!"

Saya caught his blushing and became even more enraged.

"What is it!?" Saya yelled. "What makes her better than me!?"

"What!?" Kain yelled. "What're you-!?"

"What!? What makes her more special than us!?" Saya yelled.

"Wha-I I don't know!" Kain yelled.

"Is it because she's prettier to you!?" Saya demanded. "Better personality!? Better smell!? Bigger rack!?"

As such, Saya started pouring in vicious questions to Kain, making the man confused and flustered.

"Yo, calm down!" Kain said, trying to appease the angry maiden.

"How can I be cal–whoa!"

"What the!?"

Saya fell, pushing Kain and herself. Kain found himself lying on the bed, where Saya was on top of her.

"Wha-!? Saya, you okay!?" Kain asked.

"...I won't accept it..." Saya murmured.

"What?" he asked.

"I won't accept it!" Saya yelled. "I won't accept some random chick stealing you from me!"

"Since when did I belong to you?" Kain asked.

He was about to continue, but he noticed that Saya was crying.

"I was finally able to reunite with you..." Saya said. "You could've died back there...I don't' want to lose you again!"

"Saya..." Kain said. "...sorry about that...you were worried?"

"You don't know the half of it!" Saya cried. "Stupid stupid stupid!"

"...Don't call me stupid..." Kain said as he let Saya cry herself out.

* * *

Outside, Jin glared at the newly powered up Itsuki.

"So this is your 'full power'?" Jin asked, brandishing his Yukianesa. "Interesting..."

Itsuki said nothing, as he brandished his Tsukiusagi.

"Oh, this outta be good," Burai said. "Okay then everyone, please stand back!"

As such Sieg beckoned everyone to back up.

"? What's gonna happen?" Ragna asked.

"Well..." Burai said.

Itsuki then suddnely vanished.

"What!?" Jin exclaimed.

Jin suddenly sensed something and lifted his sword quickly, only to get greeted by Itsuki's lightning fast strike.

"!?"

Itsuki then proceeded to rip Jin apart with lightning fast strikes that followed one after another, eventually overwhelming Jin to the point of pure slaughter.

"Gah!" Jin gagged.

"Penumbra!"

As Jin flinched, Itsuki slashed past him at blinding speed, then followed up with multiple strikes, eventually freezing him, and broke the ice with one swipe.

"Nah...!?" Jin gagged.

"Holy shit!" Makoto yelled.

"The Armagus Complete Release Protocol," Claude explained. "In our time, such a protocol exists, where one can literally 'completely release' all of the Armagus that they possess, enhancing their abilities at skyrocketing levels."

"But at a cost," Burai said. "After this, the user can't use any Armagus, and is gonna have to recharge for a while."

"So everyone can do this?" Noel asked.

"Not everyone..." Claude said. "The only ones who don't suffer the rebound for some reason, are Kidou and Alicia, and Kain and Saya don't even need it, since they have the Azure."

Jin couldn't even keep up with Itsuki, as every one of Jin's futile efforts were answered with a brutal response.

"Gibbous Frontal Blade!"

Itsuki swung his blade widely, shooting Jin into the air. As Itsuki jumped after him, Jin regained his balance and went for a counter attack.

"Hizangeki!"

Jin slashed downwards at Itsuki, punishing him to the ground. As Jin dropped back to the ground, Itsuki drove his sword into the ground, freezing Jin from the ground.

"Tch! Musou Senshouzan!"

Jin broke free, then created a large icicle and drove it at Itsuki.

"EMPTY SKY FORM..."

Itsuki, however, created a red barrier that blocked Jin's attack, then slashed past Jin like the wind, freezing him.

"WINTER'S REPOSTE!"

As Itsuki waved his sword, several other slashes struck at Jin, breaking the ice. As Jin flinched, Itsuki jumped into the air, freezing the air around him, creating a platform that allowed him to float in the air. He aimed his sword at Jin, while charging cold air and light form the eternal moon.

"Don't mock me!" Jin yelled.

Jin released a time-stopping distortion, where he created a bow made of ice and aimed it at the airborne Itsuki.

"ARROWS OF ICE!"

"FULL MOONSONG!"

From both swordsman, a large arrow of ice was launched from them, colliding with each other. But Itsuki's arrow just absorbed Jin's arrow and struck down on Jin.

"GAAUGH!"

As Itsuki floated back down, Jin was completely frozen solid.

"Game set," Itsuki said.

But as Itsuki checked the frozen Jin, Jin broke free, surprising Itsuki.

"I'm not done yet!" Jin yelled, but the distortion disappeared.

"**ARCTIC DUNGEON!**"

Jin was about to drive his sword into the ground, but Itsuki suddenly appeared in front of him.

"ECLIPSE SWORD STORM!"

Itsuki slashed at Jin in a violent flurry of strong and swift slashes that seemed to last for a while, then charged ice to his foot and nailed Jin, breaking the ice and sending him flying.

"GUAAAAGH!" Jin yelled as he crashed into the wall.

* * *

"Major!" Noel exclaimed.

"Jin!" Ragna yelled.

They went to help up Jin, as Itsuki calmed himself down, stopping the distortion.

"You had that much power...?" Jin asked, getting back up.

"Yes," Itsuki said, but suddenly staggered.

"Whoa!" Burai exclaimed.

Sieg quickly came in and caught Itsuki.

"Thanks..." Itsuki said.

Sieg nodded.

"Why didn't you use it back at the raid?" Noel asked.

"For obvious reasons," Burai said, pointing to Itsuki.

"So the Complete Release uses so much energy," Kokonoe asked. "That it completely renders the user useless as shit?"

"More or less, yeah," Burai said.

"Then this is the same for the others?" Tager asked.

"Everyone except for Kidou and Alicia," Claude said. "But for Kidou's case, forget the NOL base, the entire city could've been destroyed, and we couldn't risk that."

"Na ha ha ha ha!" Kidou laughed. "Well there ya' have it!"

'_The entire city?'_ Ragna thought. _'How strong is this brat!?'_

As Itsuki got back up, Kidou was deep in thought.

"What's wrong, Kidou?" Claude asked.

"Although...at this rate," Kidou said. "We are lacking in power..."

"Lacking?" Makoto asked. "How!? Did you see that!? If everyone used that Complete Release thing, then we can beat everyone!"

"Ya' sure about that?" Kidou asked. "Do ya' see the strain on Itsuki's body?"

"Eh?" she asked.

"Even if we all were to use the protocol," Kidou said. "We wouldn't be able to win against Envy."

"How!?" she yelled.

"Envy was able to beat Kain and me in the past," Kidou explained. "Which is why we couldn't stop the resurrection of the Black Beast. We were both in full force, yet he still beat us. He even managed to break my Nox and fight Kain into a stand still."

"Say what!?" Jubei yelled.

"And Envy wasn't even at full force that time," Kidou said. "Do ya' really think we could take on someone like that when we don't even know his limits?"

Makoto tried to make a rebuttal, but looked defeated.

"So what do you propose we do?" Bullet asked.

Kidou looked at Bullet. He looked a bit astonished, then came up with an idea.

"We need reinforcement," Kidou said.

"Reinforcement?" Ragna asked.

"Yep," Kidou said. "...I'll be back."

Kidou took out his two sleeker blades.

"Where?" Jin asked.

"? Ah don't worry about it," Kidou said. "But...I will need some people to come along with me. Let's see..."

Kidou looked around.

"You, you, you, and..." Kidou said as he pointed to Noel, Makoto and Hakumen. "And you."

He finally pointed to Bullet.

"Me?" she asked.

"Yep," Kidou said with a grin. "C'mon."

Reluctantly, the four gathered around Kidou, where he stabbed the two blades into the ground, creating a large magic circle.

"Where are we headed?" Hakumen asked.

"Oh, you'll find out," Kidou said.

The circle disappeared, teleporting everyone in it.

"Now what?" Litchi asked.

"For now," Rachel said. "It would seem that you all need some rest. You are all useless if you cannot put up a fight."

"I'll take it as a way of sayin', 'get some rest'?" Ragna asked.

"So you can comprehend that much, Ragna," Rachel said. "There should be some rooms open. Valkenhayn."

"Yes, Madam?" Valkenhayn asked as he appeared from nowhere.

"Escort our guests back to the guest rooms," Rachel said, while looking at the sleeping Tao and Platinum. "It looks like there are already some guests rudely sleeping in front of their host, though..."

"As you wish, Madam Rachel," Valkenhayn said. "Everyone, follow me."

Valkenhayn guided the group back into the castle. Ragna helped Jin back to his room.

"Brother...?" Jin asked.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Jin," Ragna said. "I'm not heartless enough to leave my own brother like this."

Jin looked a bit surprised, but happy, as Ragna helped him back to his room.

* * *

Iris was staring blankly into the dark ceiling. There was only despair in her eyes as she stared.

"Mom...Dad..." she moaned. "...what do I do...?"

"How pathetic..." a voice said.

Iris turned to see Alicia in her room.

"Alicia...?" she asked.

Alicia, however, had a rather disappointed and scornful look on her face.

"How long do you plan to play the tragic heroine?" Alicia asked coldly.

"Huh...?"

With a snap of her fingers, a black hole appeared under them, as they fell into the hole.

"KYAAA!" Iris cried.

When she came to, Iris found herself in a dark void.

"Where am I?" Iris asked.

"Stand," Alicia's voice said.

Iris turned to see Alicia.

"Alicia?" Iris asked. "Where are we?"

But before Iris could do anything, Alicia summoned a black orb that hot out at Iris like a needle.

"!?"

Iris rolled out of the way, only to be greeted by more black needles. Iris got back up and dodged them.

"What're you doing!?" Iris yelled.

"Summon the Aegis," Alicia said.

"What?"

"Summon it!"

Alicia commanded it in a threatening voice, scaring Iris. She tried to deploy the Aegis, but couldn't.

"What's the matter?" Alicia asked.

Without warning, Alicia summoned a black cat that assaulted Iris. She managed to dodge it, but barely.

"Deploy the Aegis," Alicia said as she continued her relentless assault.

"I can't!" Iris yelled.

"And do you know why?" Alicia asked.

"Eh?" she asked.

"The Aegis represented your desires to protect everyone," Alicia said. "It won't respond to your malice. Get that straight."

"My...malice?" Iris asked.

"You wanted to kill Envy, didn't you?" Alicia asked.

Iris looked a bit guilty.

"I understand your pain," Alicia said. "But you must let go of that pain, if you're going to fight alongside Kain."

"Let it go?" Iris asked. "You mean just forgive him!? I can't do that!"

"You must," Alicia said. "You can't use your only weapon like that."

"How can you understand the pain that I'm in!?" Iris argued.

"...I understand," Alicia said without any hesitation. "Because my parents were killed too."

"Eh?"

Alicia looked to the black ground.

"...They were killed when I was young, by a bunch of marauders," Alicia said. "I almost died, if Mother hadn't saved me."

Alicia glared at Iris.

"But I never cried like you," Alicia said. "Because I know that just crying over it, or seeking revenge will not bring them back. That will not only be futile, but you are shaming them too."

Iris looked devastated.

"...You are Kain's new partner," Alicia said. "You are possibly the only one who can keep Kain from becoming corrupted by the Azure."

"Me? " Iris asked. "How?"

"...His heart, despite how he acts," Alicia said. "Is still shrouded by darkness. It is still soaked in the hatred and malice of society ever since he was little. Even after the slaying of the Black Beast, Kain never forgave humanity."

"Alicia..." Iris said.

"...Do you not want to protect those important to you?" Alicia asked.

"Of course!" Iris yelled.

"Then that is the path you must follow."

Iris thought about it for a moment. Let go of her pain to embrace her true desire? It was something that she couldn't do easily, but she must. After taking a deep breathe, she lifted her arm.

"Luminous Aegis!"

With her command, light that pierced the darkness manifested in her arm, as the shield finally returned.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"That's it," Alicia said. "But...that's not all..."

"Huh?"

"You may be Kain's new partner," Alicia said. "But..."

Alicia lifted both of her hands to the air.

"Complete Releasing Armagus!"

Alicia deployed a distortion that surrounded her.

"Huh!?" Iris yelled.

"As Kain's former partner," Alicia said. "I'm going to test you to see if you truly are worthy of being my replacement."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the NOL Headquarters, repairs were being made as a crew was cleaning the blood off of the corridors. In a dark hallway, the light shined down upon a pedestal. Hazama and Relius were kneeling down towards the Imperator, who was standing on the pedestal.

"Great Imperator," Relius addressed.

"Relius...Terumi..." The Imperator said in a monotone voice. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Well, as you can see," Hazama tried to explain. "A group of vigilantes led by one of the mystery vigilantes raided the place."

"And why is that?" The Imperator asked.

"The rebels," Relius explained calmly. "Were here to retrieve the specimen that Envy had offered us."

"Do you mean the boy with the Azure?" she asked.

"Indeed," Relius said. "We did manage to require valuable data, but the specimen had escaped along with the rebels."

"Is that so..." The Imperator said. "...What of Envy?"

"Envy had disappeared," Relius reported. "It is highly likely that he is plotting against us."

"Disappeared, you say?" she asked.

"He had obtained a good sample of the boy's DNA," Relius reported. "Along with what is assumed to be a stabilizing agent for the Black Beast."

"Come again?"

"From his speech patterns," Relius said. "Along with comments that he dropped, he is aiming to resurrect the Black Beast."

"What?"

"How he plans to control the leviathan is unknown at the time," Hazama said. "But there is a high probability that that is his goal."

The Imperator only looked down upon the two with her soulless eyes.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"...I'd advise that you be cautious of General Kagura Mutsuki," Hazama said. "...The Mutsuki clan has mouthed off against us lately, so tensions are high. It is not unlikely that they will try something."

"...Very well..." The Imperator said. "...Continue with your tasks..."

"As you wish," the two said.

"...Also..." she ordered. "...Hunt down Envy. He proves to be a threat to our plans. Kill him at all costs."

"As you wish," the two said.

With that, the light faded, as the two walked out of the hallway.

* * *

"So, what're you gonna do now, Relius?" Hazama asked.

"Hunt down Envy, of course," Relius said.

"Seriously?" Hazama asked. "You're going to go on the frontlines? Well I'll be damned! What's with this change of character, old buddy?"

Relius said nothing, as they headed back into his lab. Inside, he tapped into this computer, but in it, all of the data regarding Kain and his group, even up to the balls of seithr, were deleted. The samples were gone too.

"...He robbed you?" Hazama asked.

"...No one makes a fool out of me..." Relius said. "And goes unpunished..."

From Relius, a feeling of pure rage could be sensed. Even Hazama could sense Relius' inner rage of being played a fool, and looked surprised about it.

"Well, I like the new aggressive you," Hazama said. "This outta be interesting."

"...I'm still angry at you," Relius said.

"Aw...you're still mad that I broke the first tank?" Hazama asked playfully.

"I'm not made of money," Relius said. "I would like it if you did not destroy my resources on a whim."

"C'mon, don't be such a stingy jerk," Hazama said. "Besides, there was some useful data, right?"

They walked into the room, where Nu was resting in a new regeneration tank.

"...I guess..." Relius said. "This could help us fine tune the Sword to better function properly."

"Well then, now that that's settled with," Hazama said. "Where shall we start looking?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the room, the gargantuan ball of seithr was still absorbing Kain's blood. As it finished, Envy looked at it. He caught the ball in his trance, where he began to emit a flow of dark energy that flowed into the ball. When he was done, Envy let go, as the ball started to conjunct and shift shape.

"Now then," Envy said. "I'll let this do its business..."

Envy stretched his arms out.

"Man, what a day though..." Envy said. "I never thought that girl had a Complete Release Protocol...or was that something else?"

He thought about it for a moment, but shrugged it off.

"Oh well," he said. "She can't stop me..."

He faced the ball.

"Soon..." Envy said. "Soon...the Paradigm Shift shall reign upon the world...and I shall..."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** And we finally end Day 5 of their journey. Yeah. In case you haven't noticed, it hasn't been a week, and already all of this crap happened to them. Man, writing everyone in is hard to do. Especially if you have to deal with a huge cast like this.

Hoped you enjoyed it anyway, review, and stay tuned!


	22. Chapter 22: Friend and Foe

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 22: Friend and Foe**

* * *

**AN:** I am back! Sorry for the delay. It has been a busy two weeks for me. Also I started a second fanfic (not sure that was a good idea, but hey the plot popped into my head while I was making this). All that aside, let's continue this mayhem!

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_...I will never get these girls..._

_Why the hell're they acting this weird?_

_It's not like they like me or anything._

_...Do they?_

_Gahh! Screw this!_

_Better check up on Iris..._

* * *

Saya was sleeping in Kain's bed, where Kain was sitting beside her.

"Damn it..." Kain said. "So she cries herself to sleep..."

Kain stared at his sleeping little sister, and rubbed her head. She smiled as she went to her slumber.

"...If only things were different..." Kain said. "Then maybe she wouldn't hate others..."

Kain got up and headed for the door.

_But we can't change what happened in the past._

_Those memories will haunt us for eternity..._

Kain stopped.

"But even if we can't change what happened..." he said. "We have to accept, and move forward. You're gonna need to learn that, Saya..."

With that, Kain opened the door, and quietly left.

* * *

In the void, Iris was forced dodging several storms of black needles that rained down upon her. She managed to block the storm, but was ambushed by a large black cat that rammed her.

"Kyaa!" she yelled.

AS she fell back, more storms of black needles rained down upon her, but Iris managed to roll back.

"What's the matter?" Alicia asked. "Is that all you got?"

Iris glared at Alicia, then aimed her shield at her.

"Shine Blaster!"

Iris shot an immense laser at Alicia, but she summoned a black hole, where she fell in, dodging the blast.

"What!?" Iris yelled.

As she looked around, Alicia reappeared from above as her shadow struck from behind. Iris fell forward and turned around, but Alicia was gone.

"Where did she–!?" Iris yelled, but was struck from behind.

"Schatten Grief!"

Alicia shot a large gryphon made of shadows that rammed into Iris. She barely managed to block it with her shield.

'_So strong!' _Iris thought.

"Lachelnd Katze!"

Alicia sent a black cat to trip her, where the gryphon smashed Iris to the ground.

"Gagh!" she gagged as she was grounded.

As Iris got back up, Alicia looked down at her.

"Pathetic..." Alicia said.

"Why are you doing this!?" Iris yelled.

"...I find it unacceptable that someone as weak as you are in charge of protecting Kain," Alicia said. "So I must strengthen you."

With a wave of her fingers, black lightning suddenly struck down upon Iris. She dodged it at the last minute, although was left bewildered.

"What was that!?" Iris yelled.

"VERRUCKT NARR!"

Alicia summoned a large figure with a scythe that pursued Iris.

"!? LUSTER BLAZER!"

Iris aimed her shield at the creäture and shot a tremendous laser at the creäture, but the creäture sliced the beam with its scythe. It then slashed at Iris, making her fly.

"KYAAA!" she cried.

She landed on the empty ground, where Alicia floated back down. As Iris tried to get back up, a black hand sprung out from the ground and grabbed Iris.

"Kh!"

"Do you honestly think you can protect anyone..." Alicia asked. "With that kind of power?"

Iris glared at Alicia.

"I knew I wouldn't like it..." Alicia said. "I can't allow you to be with Kain..."

"Why's that!?" Iris yelled.

"...Ever since he has been with you..." Alicia said. "He has always found himself in the face of danger...eventually, you will kill him..."

"What!?"

Alicia glared at Kain.

"Kain practically got murdered because of you," Alicia said. "So I can't allow you to be with him."

Alicia lifted her arms, where the creäture with the top hat suddenly appeared behind her.

"BADEN-BADEN LILY!"

From the darkness, black lightning suddenly struck down towards Iris.

"KYAAA!" she cried as she kept getting electrocuted.

When the storm was done, Alicia lifted her arms, where the hand slammed Iris to the ground.

"**DUNKLEN URTEIL TRAUM!**"

A huge black hole appeared under Iris, where she fell deep into it. When she realized it, Iris was bound by chains in front of a huge dark court. Alicia floated down to the court, where a huge magic circle appeared in front of her.

"**Thou art...**" Alicia boomed. "**Guilty...**"

From the circle, a huge guillotine made of her shadows appeared from the circle and above Iris. She tried to break herself free, but it was useless.

_Is this the end?_

_Do I only bring him misery?_

_...I can't be with Kain...?_

"**Thy judgment...**" Alicia said. "**Is DEATH!**"

_...That's not true!_

* * *

The magic circle reappeared, where Kidou and his group teleported. They found themselves in front of a large manor that looked like a fortress, only being dwarfed by the NOL base near the manor.

"Where are we?" Noel asked.

"Wait..." Makoto said, looking around. "We're in Ibukido!"

"Why're we here?" Bullet asked.

"Now trust me here," Kidou said. "We need some reinforcement, and I know just who to ask."

They looked up at the manor.

"Why does this place look familiar...?" Makoto asked.

Kidou then proceeded to knock on the door hard.

"Hello there!" Kidou yelled. "Is anyone home!?"

From the door a few minutes later, a rather handsome and pretty boy opened the door. The person had short round black hair, black eyes, and had a rather bored expression on his face. The boy wore a blue uniform with a red tie, a tight-fitting jacket, with yellow rims and black shoulder pads along with white gloves.

"Yes, can I help you?" the person asked.

"Ah yes," Kidou said. "The name's Kidou. I'd like to see Kagura Mutsuki."

"Kagura Mutsuki!?" Noel whispered. "Isn't he the head of the Duodecim!?"

"Kidou brought us to the frickin' heart of the Duodecim!?" Makoto whispered back.

"I'm sorry," the boy said. "But to meet General Mutsuki, then you would need to make an appointment. Besides, he is rather tired today. I'd recommend that you try again another day."

"Now, now, let's talk this out," Kidou said. "Unless ya' want yer boss' plan to overthrow the NOL to be leaked."

The boy looked surprised, the glared at Kidou, who was grinning.

"Overthrow the NOL?" Noel asked confused. "What're you talking about?"

"Are you willin' to listen to us?" Kidou asked.

"...Right this way," the boy said.

The boy returned into the manor, where the group followed him. Inside, it was rather impressive with large and refined hallways, windows just as large and fancy as Rachel's windows, lighting and décor of a finer taste.

"Damn..." Makoto said. "I thought I'd never see anything like this..."

"And to think we're in Ibukido..." Noel said. "There's a real difference..."

"Well, we are the NOL," the boy said. "So you can guess the status is different, former Lieutenant Noel Vermillion."

"Huh!?" Noel blurted. "How did you–!?"

"The aid to the Hero of Ikaruga," the boy responded. "It's hard to miss someone like that. Especially if both defected and sided with Ragna the Bloodedge."

"...So you know..." Noel said uneasily.

"You two are branded as traitors of the NOL," the boy said. "So we do get informed of traitors..."

"I see..."

"This includes you too," the boy said. "Former Lieutenant Makoto Nanaya."

"Geh!" Makoto blurted.

"To be honest," the boy responded. "I'm fairly surprised that you people would just come knocking the front door of the manor of the head of the Duodecim, despite being traitors. Either you're brave or stupid."

"Na ha ha ha!" Kidou laughed. "Now, now...we're not idiots."

'_You might be...'_ everyone else thought.

"...Then why did you come here?" the boy asked.

"That's for me and yer boss to decide on," Kidou said.

Staring at Kidou suspiciously, the boy eventually brought them to a large door. He knocked on the door.

"General," the boy called. "There are some guests who wish to speak with you."

"Okay," a voice from behind the door called out.

The boy opened the door to a room that was completely opposite of the refined and prestigious manor that they saw. It was completely scattered with files and reports, as there were several empty cans of drinks lying around the garbage can that sat next to a large desk, where a man with black hair was staring at the screen of a computer he had on his desk while drinking another cup of what appeared to be coffee. Behind him was a large, black rectangular like sword the size of the man.

"General," the boy said.

"Oh, thanks Hibiki," the man said. "Sorry I couldn't answer the door...Had to deal with a lot of crap.

"Then maybe you shouldn't skip your work to sneak to the NOL main headquarters," the boy known as Hibiki shot back.

"C'mon, you could've done a little," the man argued, before noticing Kidou. "Wait a minute...you're from the headquarters!"

"Yo, Kagura MutsukI!" Kidou boomed. "Told ya' we would meet again!"

"No kidding," Kagura said. "...Sorry about the mess."

"I've seen worse," Kidou said.

"So, mind telling me what you're here for?" Kagura asked.

"Don't worry," Kidou said. "I'm here as a friend."

"...How should I trust you?" Kagura asked suspiciously. "First off, what's your name?"

"Me?" Kidou asked. "I'm Kidou Mutsuki!"

"'Mutsuki'?" Kagura asked astonished. "You're my sibling?"

"Nah, I'm your son from the future," Kidou said nonchalantly.

"Oh I see," Kagura said as he took a sip out of his coffee, only to do a spit take a few seconds later. "WAIT WHAT!?"

"You're Kagura Mutsuki's son!?" Noel asked.

"Na ha ha ha!" Kidou laughed. "Truth be told."

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!" Kagura yelled. "There is in no way you're my son! I'm still a virgin!"

"How disgraceful of you General," Hibiki said coldly and with perfect timing. "To say that you're a virgin in front of a public audience...have you no shame?"

"You always have to say shit like that on the perfect timings, don't you!" Kagura yelled.

"Are ya willin' to listen to us?" Kidou asked.

"Hold it!" Kagura yelled. "There's still the fact that–!"

"Ya plannin' a coup de tat on the NOL," Kidou said.

Kagura instantly shut up after he said that with a pained wince.

"Guessed right, eh?" Kidou asked with confidence. "Mind if you hear us out at least?"

Kagura looked a bit hesitant at Kidou's offer, but there were many questions that needed to be answered.

"...Fine," Kagura said. "We'll talk in a 'cleaner' place."

"Sounds good," Kidou said. "But let's make it somewhere private. I don't wanna let this intel get leaked. How 'bout yer manor? That outta be a good private place."

As Kidou headed out, Kagura grabbed his giant sword and carried it on his belt. He then walked up to the others. He noticed Noel, and had a rather astonished look on his face.

"And you're his friends?" Kagura asked.

"I guess you can say that," Noel said. "It's a pleasure to meet you...I'm Noel Vermillion..."

"And I'm Makoto Nanaya," Makoto said, getting next to Noel.

Kagura put a friendly grin on his face, much like Kidou's grin.

"Nice to meet ya', Noel, Makoto," Kagura said. "You already know me. Kagura Mutsuki. Head of the Duodecim."

The two looked a little surprised at the change of character from Kagura.

"Aren't you gonna arrest us or something?" Makoto asked. "I mean, you're the head of the Duodecim, and we're traitors of the NOL. Aren't you supposed to be on the NOL side?"

"I'm supposed to," Kagura said. "But I don't really see why I should. Two fine ladies like you probably had their reasons. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of the NOL."

"I see," Noel said, sighing in relief.

"Besides," Kagura said, eyeing Hakumen. "If you're bringing one of the Six Heroes into the conversation, then it must be urgent."

"Hmph," Hakumen said. "Just don't make any sudden moves, Kagura Mutsuki..."

"Fine, fine," Kagura said, lifting his hands in his defense. He then eyed Bullet.

"? What?" Bullet asked.

"And aren't you a beautiful lady," Kagura said with some innuendo.

"W-what?" Bullet asked, confused as Kagura got closer to her.

"The name's Kagura Mutsuki," he said. "Might I ask what your name is?"

"It's Bullet..." she said.

"A fine name," Kagura said in his most soothing voice he could make. "Maybe after this, we can go somewhere to enjoy a meal? I know the greatest–"

He was interrupted by Hibiki pulling his ear.

"Come on, General," Hibiki said. "Don't hit on the guest."

"Ow! Damn it, HIbiki!" Kagura yelled as Hibiki pulled him out of the room.

"What was that about?" Noel asked.

"Oh, this is interesting," Makoto said with a lewd grin.

Bullet was left speechless, blushing even, but managed to pull herself together and followed the group. Hakumen, sighing, only followed the group. Not noticed by the group, Kidou made a huge grin when Kagura tried to make a move on Bullet.

* * *

With a wave of her hand, Alicia released the guillotine, letting it drop down on Iris. But as the guillotine fell on Iris, a huge shine of light suddenly flashed from Iris, erasing the gargantuan blade.

"What!?" Alicia yelled.

The entire courtroom disintegrated in the light, as they returned to the void.

"What happened!?" Alicia yelled.

As she looked, she saw Iris glowing in a radiant light that cut through the darkness. The light surrounded her as if it was a distortion, as the Aegis was reacting on her arm.

"You don't have the right to tell me what to do or what is right!" Iris yelled. "I can make my own decisions, and I want to be with Kain!"

"This feeling..." Alicia said. "The Complete Release!? No...this is–!"

As Alicia shot several black needles at Iris, four separate bits suddenly appeared and shielded Iris from Alicia's assault.

"She blocked it!?" Alicia yelled.

Iris aimed her shield at Alicia.

"Shine Blaster!"

She shot an even more intense ray of light at Alicia, where her four bits aimed at Alicia and shot four separate rays of light at Alicia. Alicia dodged them, but the bits shot at her, which Alicia didn't intercept.

"Kh! Is this the power of the Aegis!?" Alicia exclaimed.

"Aegis Boomerang!"

Iris flung her Aegis at Alicia, but she fell into a black hole right before the Aegis made contact. As Alicia resurfaced however, the Aegis followed her and struck her from behind.

"Kyaa!" she yelped as she was sent back.

The Aegis returned to Iris, where Iris brandished her shield.

"Aegis Striker!"

Iris rammed at Alicia at blinding speed, smashing her into a wall.

"Guagh!" she gagged as she stepped back, where Iris faced her shield at Alicia.

"LUSTER BLAZER!"

She shot a tremendous laser accompanied by four other lasers that decimated Alicia. Alicia tried to shield herself, but the blast was too great, that it pushed her away.

"Kh!"

Alicia managed to get out of the laser and made her move.

"HERRSCHER HERZEN!"

From Alicia's shadow a colossal king like figure appeared from behind and struck at Iris, but Iris blocked it with her shield.

"What!?" Alicia yelled.

"TESTAMENT AEGIS!"

The Aegis started to glow as Iris managed to push the giant shadow fist away, as it started to form a huge orb of light, blinding Alicia.

"Kh! What is this!?" she yeled.

Iris pushed the orb away and flung her Aegis at it, causing it to exploded, making a huge shower of raining blasts of lights, hammering down on Alicia. The storm of light managed to evaporate the void, as it became unstable in the blinding radiance of Iris' attack.

* * *

When they came to, they found themselves back in Iris' room. Iris moaned as she held up her head.

"Ow..." she moaned. "We're back?"

"It would seem so..." Alicia moaned. "Such power..."

Iris got back up, but kept her distance from Alicia with caution. Alicia only sighed.

"I'm not going to hurt you anymore," Alicia said.

"Huh?" Iris asked surprised.

"You managed to beat me at my best," Alicia said. "I was holding back though, since if I killed you Kain would never forgive me."

"Hey! You totally used your finisher back there!" Iris complained. "That was totally your best! I mean it was a huge guillotine! You couldn't have held back!"

"Anyway," Alicia said, putting that aside. "Well, at least I know that I can trust you."

"Huh?" iris asked. "You didn't trust me?"

"I mean," Alicia explained. "I can trust you with Kain."

"Eh!? Really!?" Iris exclaimed excitedly.

"Well you did recover your weapon," Alicia responded. "And you show good enough strength. So you should be suited enough to be his partner."

Iris looked relieved, but at the same time she was rather annoyed that she had to go through all of this just to get Alicia's permission to be with Kain.

"You should learn to control that power," Alicia said. "Try using the Complete Release Protocol."

"The...what?" Iris asked.

"Just focus and chant the release command 'Complete Releasing Armagus'," Alicia said. "And that should work."

"It's that easy?" Iris asked.

"It may sound easy," Alicia said. "But in reality, it takes a huge amount of focus and Armagus aptitude to even make it a possibility."

"Then how can I do it?"

Alicia pointed to her Aegis.

"Because that's doing the work for you," Alicia said. "It's like Kain with his Azure. It does most of the Armagus related problems for him."

"Then that sort of makes it look like," Iris said. "That I'm just dependent on the Aegis."

"That's not true," Alicia said. "Even if the Aegis can do all of those things, it is up to you on how you control your power."

"It's up to me?" Iris asked. "Wait...did you just do all of this just to teach me this!?"

"There's that too," Alicia said.

"Huh?"

Alicia said nothing and headed out of the door.

"Well?" Alicia asked. "Do you feel any better?'

"...Yes..." Iris said. "I know that I can't just mope on the past...I must keep going forward, no matter what."

Alicia smiled, and left the room, leaving Iris alone.

"That's right," Iris said. "I can't just mope around. I can't give up!"

Iris had newfound hope in her eyes accompanied with a big grin.

* * *

Outside of her room, as Alicia closed the door, she seemed to be relieved.

"There was more than to just teach her about her powers, wasn't it?" a voice asked.

Alicia turned to see Kain standing next to the door. He seemed to have a rather angry look on his face.

"When were you here?" Alicia asked, looking a little worried.

"I was just passing by when I felt you using your powers," Kain said.

"How could you tell?" she asked.

"It's hard not to notice powers from the Boundary," Kain said. "You might have been able to hide it from the others, but you can't fool me."

"So you saw it, I presume?" Alicia asked.

"The entire battle," Kain said. "Although I am grateful for you toughening Iris up..."

He glared at her.

"Don't go off trying to kill her," Kain threatened. "I don't know what your beef is with her, but don't you dare think of hurting her."

"...I'll be careful then..." Alicia said, un-phased by Kain's anger.

"So? Why did you do it?" Kain asked. "I can't really find any motives that you would carry to help her."

"...it's just..." Alicia said.

"...You saw a little of yourself in her?" Kain asked. "Since you both lost your parents."

"As sharp as ever, Kain," Alicia said. "Yes, I felt some sympathy for her...she reminded me of the helpless girl that I was."

Kain only stared at her as she reminisced on the memory.

"When that came to mind," she went on. "I just couldn't leave her be. I won't let anyone feel the pain of solitude."

"You pestered me about that when we were little as well," Kain said. "Wasn't that one annoying day at 1st grade."

"If it wasn't for me," Alicia pointed out. "Then you'd still be the estranged scary kid that everyone was afraid of."

"Shut up," Kain said.

Alicia giggled as Kain looked annoyed. He looked at his gauntlet. The black metal glistered in the moonlight that poured from the window.

"...Do you guys know where Akira is?" Kain asked.

"If you don't know," Alicia responded. "Then how should I know?"

"Figured..." Kain said.

"...I know you're worried, but you need to focus on the task at hand," Alicia said. "If you do not defeat Envy, then not only will Akira be lost, but everyone else, along with the future will be too."

"I know that..." Kain said.

Alicia stared at Kain, who only looked even more stressed.

"...Kain," Alicia said. "What kind of person is Iris?"

"Huh?" he asked. "What's with this all of a sudden?"

"Just curious."

"...Iris..." Kain said. "Is in one word...a struggler."

"A struggler?"

"Yeah," Kain said. "Ever since I met her, she was branded a traitor by her friends, was almost killed on several occasions, and she lost her parents."

"I see..." Alicia said, a little sympathetic.

"But..." Kain went on. "She is a fighter. She challenged those who others wouldn't even dare talk back to and helped me out in this era. Iris never gave up on me, even when I lost myself to the Black Beast, and I'm grateful for that. Not to mention that she's pretty smart, nice, beautiful, brave, cute, a little scary when she's mad..."

Alicia kept quiet as Kain went on with his seemingly endless list of compliments and good aspects for Iris.

"You love her, don't you?" Alicia asked.

"Wha-!? The hell're you talking about!?" Kain blurted, flustering.

"I guessed right," Alicia teased. "...But I am glad..."

"Huh? Why?" Kain asked.

"Because you managed to make someone you trust without my help," Alicia said.

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Kain asked. "You saying that I can't make friends on my own?"

"Have you ever made any friends on your own?" Alicia asked.

Kain looked defeated.

"You know what!" Kain yelled, but then suddenly Iris came out from her room. "Gah!? Iris!?"

"Is something the matter?" Iris asked.

"Gah! Uh! Nothing! Nothing at all!" Kain exclaimed. "So, you feeling better?"

"Yeah," Iris said. "Sorry for causing all of this trouble..."

"It's not your fault," Kain assured her. "You were just caught up in all of this."

"I guess..." Iris said.

"You hungry?" Kain asked. "C'mon. Let's get something to eat."

"Okay," Iris said.

She went to Kain's side as they headed to the kitchen. Alicia was left behind, alone in the halls of the castle.

"Kain..." Alicia said. "You are too soft..."

* * *

At his lab, Relius was searching through all of his files in his computer, ignoring the cleanup crew and the horrid smeel and sight of blood all over his lab, staining the books and walls in the lab. Behind him was a bored Hazama who was having fun picking on a soldier, and Ignis, who was waiting for its master's orders.

"Hey, Relius," Hazama asked. "How much longer are we gonna be here? There's nothing but garbage here."

"Quiet Hazama," Relius shot back. "Can't you see that I am pondering?"

"How on earth can I?" Hazama muttered. Relius' mask made it practically impossible for anyone to tell what his expression was.

"Envy obviously needed the boy for his own agenda," Relius stated. "So he manipulated us into doing so..."

"Way to state the obvious, Colonel," Hazama said. "How does this help us find Envy?"

"If you want to understand someone," Relius said. "Then you must walk a mile in their shoes."

"Pardon?"

"Meaning," Relius explained. "That by retracing his actions, we may be able to understand what he was aiming for."

"So any luck?" Hazama asked.

Relius continued to search through his files, ignoring Hazama.

"...Envy said that he was aiming to recreate the Black Beast, correct?" Relius asked Hazama.

"Huh? If I recall, that's what he said," Hazama said.

"The beast is practically made of seithr..." Relius said. "Even with the core and blood, he would still need a vast amount of seithr to make up the body..."

"You getting somewhere with this?" Hazama asked.

"...We are heading for Wadatsumi," Relius suddenly announced.

"Seriously? Why there?" Hazama asked.

"...An abandoned city..." Relius said. "And there, the first seithr orb was detected. It would be a perfect place for someone to carry out something that the public shouldn't know about..."

"Ah..." Hazama said, understanding what Relius was getting at.

"Phantom," Relius ordered.

From out of nowhere, a robed mage like woman appeared out of nowhere.

"Teleport us to Wadatsumi," Relius commanded.

Without saying a thing, Phantom teleported the three to their desired destination.

* * *

The group reached Kagura's manor on Kagura's aircraft. As they got off, they looked astonished at the manor. It wasn't as big as the NOL branch they were just at, but it was still just as impressive.

"Did you get this from the NOL?" Kidou asked.

"No," Kagura said. "I got this through my own connections."

"That's good," Kidou responded. "We don't have to worry 'bout any security cameras goin' to the NOL."

The group proceeded into the manor, where it was just as impressive as the branch that they were previously in. Shortly an elegant maid came up to Kagura.

"Welcome back, Master Kagura," the maid addressed.

"Yo! Good work," Kagura greeted with a smile.

"? And who may those people be?" the maid asked.

"Oh, these are some guests," Kagura said. "Can you show them to the dining hall? You guys must be starving."

"Huh? Is it okay?" Noel asked.

"Of course," Kagura said with a smile. "You're all guests in my house. The least I can do is serve you guys something."

"Of course," the maid said. "Come this way, everyone."

The group followed the elegant maid to a large dining hall, where they seated themselves.

"Wow..." Makoto said, looking around the hall. "This place is amazing..."

"Now then," Kagura said as he took his seat. "Do ya' mind explaining what you want?"

"Oh nothing really," Kidou said. "We're only asking that you coöperate with us."

"Cooperate how?" Kagura asked.

"Oh simple," Kidou said. "We want ya' to lend us your power and resources. In exchange, we give ya' our support."

"And what if I didn't need your support?" Kagura asked.

"Oh, I would find it hard to ignore," Kidou said.

Kagura looked confused.

"Several high-class vigilantes, the Hero of Ikaruga, the Red Devil along with Sector Seven, the God Slayer Kusanagi," Kidou went on. "The Six Heroes, and the Grim Reaper. And to top it off, several warriors with weapons that surpass the current Nox Nyctores, and three stronger warriors with weapons that make these new weapons look like pop guns. And as an added bonus, we also have control of the Azure Grimoire."

Kagura looked amazed.

"Ya' can't possibly ignore this much fire-power," Kidou said. "Even if the opponent is the NOL, this much power, combined with your influence in the Mutsuki clan, can at least put up one hell of a fight."

"...Sounds tempting..." Kagura said.

"Your 'plan' is gonna take place in a few days from now, right?" Kidou asked. "It would be a perfect opportunity to gain some more firepower to ensure your victory."

"Why would you help me?" Kagura asked.

"We're only after someone who managed to play both us and the NOL for a bunch of suckers," Kidou said. "And is way worse than the NOL."

"And what if I just tell this information to the Imperator?" Kagura asked.

"Then we just tell her about yer plans to overthrow her," Kidou threatened with a grin. "And we go down together."

Kagura glared at Kidou, who kept his usual jaunty expression.

"Your choice," Kidou said with confidence.

"General..." Hibiki said.

"...It seems like you're forcing me to join forces," Kagura said. "Is this guy you're tryin' to find that dangerous?"

"You should know," Kidou said. "You saw him kill one of yer' comrades."

"What? You mean–!?" Kagura yelled, realizing who Kidou was talking about.

Kidou only nodded. Kagura remembered the time where the man in question killed his subordinates at the NOL headquarters, yet he couldn't do anything about it.

"Do you care for your comrades lives?" Kidou asked.

Kagura nodded, angry at the fact that he couldn't do anything to protect his subordinates. The anger, the sadness, the feeling of powerlessness. They all built up in Kagura.

"...Well?" Kidou asked.

Kagura stared at Kidou.

"...Alright then," Kagura said. "Let's see what you guys got."

Noel and Makoto rejoiced as Kidou smiled.

"Then I guess that's a de–," Kidou said.

"Wait," Kagura interrupted him. "Before we agree on anything. I want to test something."

"Oh?" Kidou asked as he reached for his sword.

Kagura suddenly jumped off from his chair, grabbed the hilt of his sword and swung the blade at Kidou. Kidou only took out his giant sword and blocked Kagura's rectangular blade.

"I'd like to see what you're made of," Kagura said.

"...I'd though ya' never ask," Kidou said enthusiastically.

* * *

"Nnn..."

Saya mumbled as she awoke from Kain's bed.

"Brother...?" she asked.

She looked around in search of her brother, but no luck.

"He must have went outside," Saya mumbled as she rubbed her half-asleep eyes. She got out of the covers and went outside of his room. As she walked down the hallway, she found Alicia up ahead.

"? Alicia!" Saya called out.

"! Saya," Alicia said. "Where've you been?"

"I was in Brother's room," Saya said matter-of-factly.

"Of course," Alicia said, as if she shouldn't have even asked.

"Have you seen Brother?" Saya asked.

"Oh, Kain's right now with Iris," Alicia said.

"What?" Saya asked, her voice becoming more serious.

Alicia realized what she just said as Saya bolted past Alicia. Alicia grabbed Saya's arm quickly.

"Oh no you don't," Alicia shot back.

"Let me go," Saya only responded.

"What're you planning to do?" Alicia asked.

"I'm just gonna check on Brother and Iris," Saya calmly said.

"Uh huh..." Alicia said, not buying it.

"What?" Saya growled angrily.

"You're going to try and break them up, aren't you?" Alicia asked.

"Duh," Saya said flatly.

"Well, at least you don't lie," Alicia said sarcastically. "Saya. Do you really think that Kain will even allow something like that?"

"Shut up!" Saya yelled. "I won't let anyone touch him!"

"Saya..." Alicia said.

"Out of my way!"

Saya pushed Alicia back and stormed off.

"...That anger...it's only a sign of desperation..." Alicia said. "If only she understood that."

Alicia looked back at Saya, then proceeded to go after her.

"Oh for the love of..." Alicia said as she went after her, trying to stop her.

* * *

"...Huh...?" Jin mumbled.

"Yo," a familiar voice said. "You finally awake?"

Jin looked up to see Ragna, Hikari and Itsuki. Jin got up to find himself in a bed, and badly injured.

"What happened...?" Jin asked in pain.

"Your son beat the shit out of you, that's what happened," Ragna said.

"I'm terribly sorry..." Itsuki apologized with guilt.

"Don't give me your sympathy," Jin shot back. "I lost. You don't need to show me sympathy."

Itsuki looked a bit uneasy.

"God, you're not honest..." Ragna said with a groan. "Well I guess I can't expect much honesty from you."

"And why're you here Brother?" Jin asked.

"I actually wanted to see if you were alright," Ragna said. "But I guess you're fine, so I'm out of here."

As Ragna got up to leave, Jin suddenly grabbed Ragna's arm.

"Wait," Jin said. "I'm not letting you go so easily."

"Father!" Itsuki yelled.

"The hell do you want?" Ragna yelled. "Don't tell me you wanna fight me now?"

"You scared?" Jin taunted.

"Ordinarily no," Ragna shot back. "But I'm not that much of a heartless bastard to attack someone who's obviously injured."

"Keh! You coward..." Jin muttered, before wincing in pain.

"Father!" Hikari exclaimed.

Ragna only sighed as he got his brother to let go.

"Goddamn it, Jin," Ragna said. "I'll fight you, but you need to recover. I don't really feel any accomplishment from beating someone who can't even talk without feeling pain."

Ragna pushed Jin back to his bed as he left.

"Uncle..." Itsuki said.

"Right..." Ragna said. "Since you two're his brats, then you must be my nephew and niece. Look, keep an eye on him. He tends to be reckless at times."

With that Ragna left.

"Father..." Hikari said.

Jin only scowled at them as he glared at the ceiling. But then suddenly Kain and Iris barged into the room.

"Yo Jin," Kain said. "You okay?"

"Kain!" Itsuki exclaimed. "You're all right?"

"I guess," Kain said.

"Iris!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Hikari!" Iris said.

"You're okay!" Hikari exclaimed as she embraced Iris. "Thank God!"

Iris was rather surprised by Hikari's reaction, but smiled in appreciation.

"Sorry for worrying you..." Iris said.

"You..." Jin muttered.

"Well, you've been better," Kain said. "So I take it that someone from 'my group' beat the shit out of you using the Complete Release Protocol?"

"More or less," Itsuki said.

"And were you the one who did it?" Kain asked. "Since you answered it so quickly..."

Itsuki nodded guilty.

"Goddamn it..." Kain groaned. "I was out for only a few hours, and you all go and kill each other. At this rate, Envy's gonna have our asses handed to us if we can't even work together."

"Heh...at least you're still capable of fighting..." Jin said.

"Hey, don't push yourself," Kain said. "We still need as much support as we can get, and I'm not gonna just let the 'Hero of Ikaruga' get away."

"So you actually admit that you need me?" Jin asked, rather surprised.

"Envy is someone that I won't let my guard down around," Kain said. "Against someone like him...I need as much firepower as possible."

"'Firepower'?" Jin asked. "So you're treating us like weapons?"

"You and I both know that that's what we essentially are..." Kain said. "Weapons that have the power to kill everyone..."

The two glared at each other.

"But..." Kain said. "If there's anything I've learned after 10 years of the shit that I went through...it's that you have the power to control that power. You can decide whether you're a weapon or not."

Jin looked half-impressed before Kain started to leave.

"Well that's all I can really say," Kain said. "Get better, I guess..."

Kain left, with Iris following him. Hikari wanted to follow Kain, but she also wanted to look after her father.

"You want to go after them, don't you?" Jin suddenly asked.

"Huh!?" Hikari exclaimed. "But..."

"Go..." Jin said. "I can take care of myself."

Hikari looked a little hesitant, but made up her mind.

"Thank you, Father..." Hikari said.

She left the room, leaving Itsuki alone with Jin.

"Father..." Itsuki said, rather shocked.

"Just let me sleep," Jin said angrily as he landed back on the bed.

* * *

Relius, Ignis and Hazama reached Wadatsumi, where the town was still as deserted as ever. In fact, it was even more uninhabitable. The air around it was filled with so much seithr, that Hazama gagged and coughed upon reaching the place.

"What in the world is this!?" Hazama gagged. "Relius!? Are you sure Envy is even here!? I doubt anyone can breathe in such a place!"

"Then he wouldn't have able to mutilate someone who was entirely made of seithr," Relius said as he looked around.

He spotted a large black mass as tall as the tallest building in the town just up ahead of the area.

"...There..." Relius said.

"Are you serious!?" Hazama yelled. "There's no way anyone could live in there! Well, at least I won't be entering there!"

"Get moving, Hazama," Relius said, ignoring his rant.

"Alright! Alright! I'll go!" Hazama yelled, grumbling under his breath.

As the two headed towards the black mass, Ignis suddenly got in front of them and slammed a sudden projectile that fired at them without warning. The projectile turned out to be a psychic sword, as they found themselves surrounded by several of them.

"Looks like we hit the jackpot," Hazama said.

"Not yet," Relius said. "We need to bring in the real jackpot. Ignis!"

Ignis prepared for battle as the psychic swords aimed at Relius.

"Well, well," a voice said.

They turned to see Envy appearing out of nowhere.

"Speak of the devil," Relius said.

"Long time no see, Colonel, Captain," Envy said. "I see you've triggered my booby trap."

"Oh, well if it isn't the masked freak!" Hazama exclaimed. "Nice of you to save us the time to hunt you down!"

"I never run from a fight unless it's necessary," Envy said. "And I figured that I should fight you two, since you seemed so peeved."

"You're going to regret doing so, Envy," Relius said.

"Oh will I?" Envy asked. "I guess we'll just have to see then."

At Relius' command, Ignis charged at Envy, but Envy stopped its strike with his finger.

"Now then," Envy said. "It's time to see just how much of a threat you two are…"

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** Iris manages to get better and became stronger, Kain starts to realize his own feelings for Iris, and now more tensions rise in the Kisaragi side. Meanwhile, Kidou joins forces with Kagura, but not before the two brawl it out. And the three villains from the beginning finally fight each other. Kagura pulled a move on Bullet? Does this mean anything? Anyway look forward to their fights. It will be intense. This I swear!

See ya next time, and don't forget to review!


	23. Chapter 23: Preparations

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 23: Preparations**

* * *

**AN:** Oh god was this chapter a tough one to write. Anyway enjoy as always!

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_Great..._

_We can't even work together without at least two people trying to kill each other..._

_Why the hell can't these guys get along!?_

_...What am I saying?_

_It's a miracle that no one even questioned the purpose of all staying here..._

_Or that even revealing our parentage didn't jeopardize our existence..._

_I'm surprised that no one even made a mess of things, until now..._

* * *

Kain and Iris made their way to the kitchen, where Valkenhayn was preparing some food.

"Valkenhayn?" Kain asked.

"? Oh hello there, Master Kain," Valkenhayn said, taking notice to the two. "How may I help you?"

"I was wondering if you could make something for Iris, if that's okay," Kain said.

"Wha-!? I'm fine..." Iris said.

But as soon as she said that, her stomach growled, leaving her embarrassed.

"Very well," Valkenhayn said. "Please wait a moment."

Kain and Iris took a seat in the dining table as Valkenhayn started to cook a meal for Iris, using the ingredients that were in front of them. Within a matter of minutes, Valkenhayn presented Iris with an impressive chicken and tomato dish.

"Thank you," Iris said.

"You are very welcome," Valkenhayn said. "And I am terribly sorry for being unable to protecting you from the grasps of the enemy. You too, Master Kain."

"It's okay," Iris said. "You did your best, and I'm grateful for it."

"Don't blame yourself, Valkenhayn," Kain said. "Envy's hard to defeat. I'm just glad we all survived in the end."

Valkenhayn offered Iris a fork, which she accepted. She ripped a piece of the chicken and tasted it.

"This...is delicious...!" Iris exclaimed.

"Why thank you," Valkenhayn said. "I figured you would need something to fill your stomach after all that has happened."

"Is it good?" Kain asked.

"Uh huh!" Iris answered.

"That's good," Kain said with a smile.

As Iris was eating, Kain examined his gauntlet. The sleek black metal made a reflection from the light of the kitchen. Iris noticed the gauntlet.

"Hey, Kain," Iris asked. "Do you mind if I ask why you wear the gauntlet? Or more like why the gauntlet is like that?"

"Huh?" he asked.

Even though they have traveled together for a while, Iris only noticed now that Kain's gauntlet practically occupied half of his arm, where his fingers are in the shape of claws.

"It's to help me control the Azure," Kain explained.

"But why is it like that?" Iris asked.

Kain stood silent for a moment, then proceeded to fidget with the gauntlet, until it opened up, revealing his true arm. Iris gasped at the sight of it. It was completely void of any human characteristics; the only thing 'human' about it was the structure, but even then it was rather demonic. The arm looked like it was made of seithr, where the fingers were sharp claws and the top of his hand had a large red circle on it, representing an eye without a pupil.

"It fit the shape," Kain simply said.

"You've been carrying something like that this whole time!?" Iris asked.

"My goodness!" Valkenhayn exclaimed. "This is...!"

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead, call it scary or messed up or whatever," Kain flatly said, as if he knew this was going to happen.

But to his surprise, Iris caressed it.

"Eh?" he blurted.

"You must've gone through a lot..." Iris said.

Kain was just baffled by this act of kindness, even if it was from Iris.

"You're not...scared...?" Kain asked.

"? Why would I be?" Iris asked. "There's nothing scary about you, Kain."

Kain flustered as Iris continued to caress it.

"Why should I be scared, though?" Iris asked.

"...Well," Kain said. "Ever since I got this arm, all the kids around me were scared. Hell, the only people in my group who liked me even with the arm were Alicia, Kidou and Saya."

"I would understand why," Valkenhayn said. "The power of the Azure...it can be frightening..."

"Thanks," Kain said bitterly and sarcastically.

"So how did you endure society then?" Iris asked.

"I didn't," Kain said. "After like a few weeks, I stopped going to school and trained to control the Azure with Alicia and Kidou. We ended up forming a vigilante group."

"Alicia was a vigilante?" Iris asked, fairly astonished.

"She felt that she couldn't trust me and Kidou alone," Kain said. "So she decided to join in and help us out."

"How kind of her," Valkenhayn said.

"Within no time, we became famous S-rank vigilantes," Kain said. "Heh, the competition was nothing compared to the training that I went through."

"What kind of training?" Iris asked.

"Well let's see," Kain said. "Getting my ass handed to me by Kagura Mutsuki, Jin, Valkenhayn, Tager, Ragna, learned how to control the Azure by Ragna and Noel, while Rachel gave me some pointers on how to 'use my imagination and not rely on that mutt' and manipulate the Azure to do many things, then got my ass handed to me by her after I attacked her for calling Dad a 'mutt'."

"Wow..." Iris simply said.

"That was only the first year," Kain said. "In reality, I ended up going back into society after we slayed the Black Beast, which was like what, 2-3 years ago?"

"How old were you when you started your training?" Iris asked.

"7 years old?" Kain asked.

"How old are you now?"

"17."

"So you were training for 6-7 years!?" Iris asked.

"Pretty much," Kain said. "I was able to learn a bunch of neat tricks during the years."

"Didn't you have any friends back then?"

"Nope, ended up making friends," Kain said. "Hell, I don't even trust society. I only got their respect when we killed the Black Beast."

"But isn't the Azure something that everyone wanted?" Iris asked.

"That maybe," Valkenhayn said. "But there are few who are capable of utilizing it without being corrupted by it."

"As for me," Kain added. "Since the Azure's in my body, I had no problem with it."

"Shouldn't you be proud of that?" Iris asked. "I mean you **slayed** the Black Beast."

"We only ganged up on the freak, so I wouldn't call it an accomplishment," Kain said. "And it was only then when society accepted me, so I only think of this as an excuse to pass off a monster like as 'acceptable'."

Kain pounded the table. His eyes showed great animosity and anger.

"Shit like that pissed me off..." Kain said. "They treated us like freaks...and now since I just happen to save their asses, they suck up to me. It makes me sick!"

"...So why are you using the Azure to make that arm?" Iris asked, trying to change the subject. "Is it some kind of technique?"

"...I didn't do this..." Kain said.

"Huh?"

"When the Azure awakened when I was little," Kain explained. "It made my arm implode."

"W-What...?" Iris asked, shocked.

"The arm you see here," Kain explained. "...It's the Azure replacing the arm it destroyed."

Iris looked shocked as Kain put the gauntlet back on.

"The gauntlet is to make sure no one gets any side effects or seithr poisoning from my arm," Kain said. "It also acts as a limiter for me, as you saw during our trip."

"I see..." Iris said.

"Look, worry about yourself before worrying about me," Kain said. "You still need to learn how to control that shield of yours."

"R-Right," Iris said.

"...How about I help you train?" Kain offered. "You'd probably need it for the road up ahead."

"Really!?" Iris blurted. "You mean it!?"

"Yeah," Kain said.

Iris looked rejoiced, but almost dropped her fork, which Kain caught just in time.

"First finish your meal," Kain said. "You can't fight on an empty stomach."

"Okay," Iris said excitedly.

She started to scarf down the meal, but ended up choking on it.

"Whoa, whoa!" Kain exclaimed, giving her a cup of water. "Calm down!"

Iris took the glass and drank the water, clearing her throat.

"Thanks..." she coughed.

"Eat slowly," Kain said. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"Okay..."

As a flustered Iris continued her meal, no one noticed from behind the doorway, Saya was eavesdropping on the whole conversation.

"That bitch..." she muttered quietly.

* * *

Kidou managed to push Kagura away from him, making him fly across the room. Kagura managed to land on his feet, gripping his gargantuan rectangular sword.

"EHH!?" Makoto yelled. "You two are gonna fight!?"

"Of course, miss," Kagura said. "I'm gonna be joining you guys. I gotta see if you guys won't slow us down."

"But is this really necessary!?" Noel exclaimed.

"Do not be alarmed," Hibiki said. "If he were to break the manor, we can always blame it on the General."

"Are you serious!?" Noel shot back.

"Na ha ha!" Kidou laughed. "That's reassuring! Then I don't have to hold back!"

"And you're okay with it!?" Noel yelled.

"Why shouldn't I?" Kidou grinned while flinging his own gargantuan sword with ease. "If that's the case, then I won't be holding back!"

"Then let's see what you got!" Kagura yelled as he kicked the large dining table at Kidou.

Kidou stopped it with his free hand, where Kagura jumped towards him. Kidou grabbed the table, lifted it up, and then flung it at Kagura.

"Whoa!" Makoto yelled.

Kagura sliced the table in half in midair, but gave Kidou an opening.

"Lancelot Uprising!"

White flames emitted from the sword, Kidou flung his sword upwards towards Kagura, smashing the blade against Kagura's blade. The force of the collision sent Kagura back.

"What power!" Kagura muttered.

"Gawain Crashing!"

Kidou suddenly dropped down towards Kagura and slammed the blade downwards, punishing Kagura to the ground, where they crashed down until they reached the bottom floor.

"Just because it's okay," Noel yelled. "Doesn't mean that you can demolish Mr. Kagura's house!"

At the basement, Kagura kicked off the rubble of the concrete ceiling that fell on him.

"Hey, hey!" Kagura yelled. "Don't destroy my house! I paid for it, ya' know!"

"Then yer gonna have to beat me then, eh?" Kidou said.

Kidou ran out from nowhere and clashed his blade with Kagura's blade. Kidou swung his sword violently, where each strike was followed up with another brash but accurate strikes, while Kagura intercepted those strikes with his own. As the two exchanged swift blows, Kidou tried to fling Kagura up with his blade, but Kagura managed to dodge it, giving him an opening.

"Saimingeki..."

Kagura jumped and slashed overhead at Kidou, slamming his head with the blade as jet-black flames emitted from it.

"Engajin!"

Kagura then performed a follow up slash that made Kidou trip to the ground. Kidou managed to recover, only to be greeted by Kagura's next move.

"Soukou..."

Kagura slashed Kidou out with his sword, driving him into a wall.

"Daimusou!"

Kagura then followed up with a dual strike, pummeling Kidou to the wall.

"Enjuusou!"

Kagura then immediately flung his sword up while it was surrounded by jet-black flames, much like Kidou's up strike. As Kagura went for a pursuit, Kidou slammed his sword up, making Kagura bullet upward. Kidou then made his way up by jumping on platforms that were available. As Kagura was about to fall, Kidou rocketed above him, grabbed his head, and slammed it into the ground. As Kidou was about to stab Kagura, Kagura stabbed him with his sword, making him flinch. As Kidou stepped back, Kagura slammed his fist in Kidou's face, making him fly through a wall. Kidou immediately slammed the wall down with ease, making his way back. Despite all the beating that he was inflicted with, Kidou was still grinning, unfazed by all the attacks.

"So you can withstand this much..." Kagura said.

"Na ha ha ha!" Kidou laughed. "I've been through worse!"

"Then try this on for size!" Kagura yelled as he drove his sword into the ground.

"RYUUHA GOKUENJIN!"

Kagura drove his sword up, releasing a flaming burst of jet-black like flames that dragged along the ground and towards Kidou.

"Then I'll go with this!" Kidou boomed as he pointed his sword towards the flames.

"DDRAIG INTERCEPTOR!"

Kidou suddenly charged towards Kagura at lightning blazing speed, thrusting his sword like a train. Te edge easily erased the flames and stabbed Kagura in the gut. Without stopping at all, Kdiou drove Kagura forward, breaking down wall after wall of the manor with ease and without hesitation, then once they broke through the walls for several seconds, Kidou, with all of his might, flung Kagura sky high to the clouds.

"Holy shit!" Makoto yelled. "Kidou's frickin' insane!"

"What power...!" Bullet said.

"He's been hiding this much power...?" Noel asked.

Hibiki, however, showed no sign of worry for his general.

"Don't count the general out just yet," he simply said.

High above the skies, Kagura was still flying through the clouds, until he managed to stop himself by flinging his sword as a counterweight. As he started to fall, he charged energy into his sword.

"Damn, he has a lot of brawn," Kagura said. "...I guess it's time to settle this."

He started to drop down to the manor, where Kidou was standing; waiting for him.

"RYUUGO..."

He dropped down like a rock, brandishing his sword and falling towards Kidou.

"? What the hell?" Kidou asked, squinting his eyes.

He soon saw that it was Kagura, making his counter.

"Holy fu–!" Kidou muttered before he raised his sword to defend himself.

"ZENGA BOUSOU!"

Kagura slammed his sword against Kidou, where a large explosion of jet-black flames engulfed what was rest of the dining hall. The group were forced to take cover, yet they barely escaped the fire. When the explosion ceased, Kagura found himself pushing his blade against Kidou's blade, which he used to barely shield himself.

"You're good..." Kagura said.

"Augh...that was close..." Kidou said.

* * *

Despite blocking the attack, his clothes were charred, and there was a crater formed where Kidou was standing. Not to mention that Kidou was barely making a split with his legs. Kagura put away his sword, where Kidou managed to stand back up and put away his sword as well.

"So you were able to take this much, eh?" Kagura asked.

"Apparently..." Kidou said.

Kagura jumped back as Kidou got back up.

"So you still wanna continue?" Kidou asked.

"You have that second Nox Nyctores waiting to be used, don'cha?" Kagura asked. "I wanna see what that's capable of."

Kidou snickered.

"So ya' figured it out, eh?" Kidou asked.

"You said that there were several warriors with weapons that surpass the current Nox Nyctores," Kagura said. "Those swords definitely show signs of a Nox, yet they aren't registered as one of the current ten Noxes. Hell I never seen anything like that. If you're one of those warriors, then those new weapons must be Noxes that were made in the future, and you have two of them."

"Right you are," Kidou said with a smile, where he took out his first gargantuan blade and stabbed it in the ground, and took out his two sleeker blades and stabbed them to the ground next to the first blade.

"Wait, you have **two **Noxes!?" Noel exclaimed.

"Yep," Kidou said. "The big blade's the Nox Nyctores: Mucro Sanctus Novum: Excalibur Type: Caliburn. And the two broad swords are the Nox Nyctores: Mucro Sanctum Infractus: Excalibur Type: Collbrande."

"Why're they named the same thing?" Noel asked.

"Well, originally, the Collbrande was the original Excalibur," Kidou explained. "But, a lot happened, and the Excalibur got split in half. After Kokonoe made a new version of the Excalibur, I found out that these fellers still work with a completely different function. So I decided to keep the broken Excalibur and get Kokonoe to remodel them as a new Nox Nyctores, while I keep the new Excalibur."

"So essentially, you were carrying a Nox and a broken Nox all this time?" Bullet asked.

"Yep," Kidou said. "Honestly, I don't know how this one's still working. But I decided to use it along with Caliburn."

"Why?" Noel asked. "Wouldn't it be more of a hassle to manipulate two Noxes at the same time?"

"At the time where I had the choice," Kidou replied. "I needed as much power as possible."

"Was that time..." Noel asked. "When the Black Beast emerged?"

"What?" Kagura asked.

"...We were pretty reckless that time…" Kidou said. "Me, Kain and Alicia decided to take on the critter ourselves to help out the adults, since they were busy with the public. If it weren't for Itsuki, Claude and Saya helping out, the three of us would've been dead. And even then, we needed all the power we can get. Surviving against that thing was a miracle..."

"I see..." Noel said.

Kagura narrowed his eyes at Kidou.

"This Kain and Alicia," Kagura asked. "Are they your friends too?"

"Oh yeah!" Kidou said. "They're my best friends!"

"How strong are they?" Hibiki asked.

"Well...I never won a match against either of them," Kidou said. "I tied with Alicia once, but Kain managed to beat me."

"Really!?" Makoto asked.

"Yep," Kidou said. "Although we were pretty banged up after the fight. Almost lost a limb fighting him."

"How strong is Kain...?" Noel asked.

"Oh he worked his ass off getting to where he is now," Kidou said.

"You mean trapped in the past and almost getting killed on a daily basis?" Makoto asked.

"I guess there were some troubles on the way," Kidou joked. "But he managed to pull through, didn't he?"

"I guess," Noel said.

"Anyway," Kidou said, facing Kagura. "Is this good enough of a history lesson? Can we continue?"

Kagura brandished his sword.

"Come on then," Kagura said.

Kidou snickered as he put away his sword and grabbed the hilt of his two broad swords.

"Hey girls?" Kidou asked. "Do ya' remember how fast Burai was?"

"Eh? Well, yeah..." Noel said.

"Then get ready to be amazed!" Kidou yelled.

* * *

As Kidou was about to wield his swords, he suddenly charged at Kagura with blinding speed.

"Wha-!?" Makoto yelled.

Without a second thought, Kagura shielded himself with his sword, where Kidou slammed his two swords against his sword.

"I see..." Kagura said. "That first Nox was solely power based. This Nox is solely speed based, isn't it?"

"You got the right idea," Kidou said.

Kagura managed to push Kidou back, but Kidou landed on his feet and rushed back at Kagura with lighting fast speed. Kagura now had a hard time keeping up with Kidou's speedy strikes that showed no end.

'_So when he switches Noxes...'_ Kagura thought. _'He trades power for speed huh...'_

Kidou pushed Kagura back to a wall, where Kidou tried to strike him down. Kagura used the opening and stabbed Kidou, but Kidou quickly changed from attacking to defending, intercepting the gargantuan sword. As Kidou flew back, Kagura emitted jet black flames from his sword and shot it at Kidou. Kidou only ran, dodging the flames and brandished his own swords.

"Tristan Cross!"

White flames emitted from his swords, as he slashed them in a cross motion, sending a flaming X that intercepted Kagura's flame.

"RYUUHA GOKUENJIN!"

Kagura drove his sword into the ground and released a burst of jet-black flames that dragged along the ground.

"Lamorak Burst!"

Kidou slammed his two swords together, creating a short ranged, but huge explosion that shielded him from the flames.

"So that form focuses on projectiles, eh!?" Kagura yelled.

Kidou suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Not quite," Kidou said as he made a backflip, kicking Kagura into the air.

Kidou emitted white flames from his swords and jumped after him.

"ALBION ONSLAUGHT!"

When he reached Kagura, he slaughtered Kagura in a swift storm of blade slashes, until he slammed Kagura to the ground, where a white flame burst and dragged Kagura along the ground.

"Kagura!" Bullet yelled, surprising the others.

As Kidou cautiously went to see Kagura, his sword suddenly shot out of the dust. Caught off guard, the sword smashed Kidou's stomach, where Kagura ran out of the dust and slammed Kidou' head to the ground. AS Kidou tried to get up, Kagura smashed his arms with his foot.

"RYUUGO..."

Kagura jumped into the air and smashed Kidou with his sword, causing an explosion of jet-black flames.

"ZENGA BOUSOU!"

Kidou flew into the air by the explosion, and landed across the room. His clothes were even more charred than before. The top part of his white kimono was completely reduced to ashes, only the bottom part of his outfit remained, and even it was charred.

"Na ha ha ha ha!" Kidou laughed. "That was fun!"

* * *

Kidou got back up and dusted off the ashes of his kimono off of him.

"Aw shit," Kidou muttered. "Now I need a new kimono."

Kagura managed to limp back towards the group.

"Now," Kidou said. "Are we hired?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kagura said. "You got yourself an employer."

"Alright!" Makoto exclaimed.

"That's good to hear," Bullet said.

"Oh? So you wanted to be with me?" Kagura asked with a rather serenading tone, making Bullet fluster, until Hibiki pulled his ear and dragged him away again.

"Ow! Damn it, Hibiki!" Kagura yelled.

"Focus, General," Hibiki said.

"So?" Kidou asked Hakumen. "What do ya' think?"

"...At least you won't pull us down," Hakumen said coldly.

"Now then," Kidou said as he grabbed his two broad swords and stabbed them to the ground, creating the portal. "General Kagura, ya mind if ya' come with us for the time being?"

"? Why?" Kagura asked.

"Need ta' introduce ya to the rest of the group," Kidou said.

"Seems fair," Kagura said. "Hibiki. I'll leave the rest of the preparations to you."

"Just don't take so long, General," Hibiki said.

Kagura only snickered as he entered the portal next to Bullet.

"So we heading back now?" Makoto asked.

"Probably," Kidou said. "Although I'd like to find Tsubaki Yayoi."

"Tsubaki?" Kagura asked. "You mean the Yayoi girl?"

"Wait, you know her!?" Noel and Makoto yelled.

"I met her just a few days ago back at the headquarters," Kagura said. "She was wearing some weird golden gear."

"Was it armor?" Kidou asked.

Kagura nodded.

"So she awakened the Izayoi, huh..." Kidou said, the grinned. "Well, it looks like there as a reason to bring you two after all."

"Huh? Wait, why did you bring us anyway?" Noel asked.

"Well..." Kidou said. "I figured that I would try to sway Kagura with three hotties, or force him to cooperate with Hakumen."

"How light of a man do you think I am!?" Kagura yelled.

"Pretty light," Kidou said.

"You little..." Kagura muttered.

"Anyway!" Makoto interrupted. "So how do we find Tsubaki?"

"Give me a minute," Kidou said.

He adjusted his swords to Kagura, where the light flashed below him more so than the others.

"I can use Avalon to read other people's minds as long as they're on the platform," Kidou explained. "Using that memory, we can track Tsubaki."

After a few moments, Kidou managed to find Tsubaki's whereabouts.

"Got it," Kidou said.

The circle teleported the group to the whereabouts of Tsubaki.

* * *

Psychic swords rained down upon Hazama and Relius with a snap of Envy's fingers. Hazama managed to dodge all of them, while Ignis destroyed the swords aimed for Relius.

"Well, at least you know how to pull your weight," Envy said.

"Do you honestly think you can take on both of us?" Hazama asked. "Then you must be even more insane than I gave you credit for."

"Like you're one to talk," Envy chuckled.

Hazama struck a nerve and shot a chain at Envy, but the chain stopped before it even hit him.

"What!?" Hazama yelled.

"Do you know of the term 'psychic'?" Envy asked, until Ignis suddenly appeared behind him.

Ignis tried to slash him down, but Envy warped out of its sight. Envy appeared in front of Relius.

"...So you have teleportation as well..." Relius said.

"I figured you would figure it out," Envy said. "Exactly. My powers range from telekinesis, teleportation, psychometry, creation of matter and among other things."

"Is that so?" Relius asked, sounding rather intrigued.

But as soon as Relius finished replying, Ignis suddenly grabbed Envy and smashed him into the ground. Envy, however, teleported out of there and floated in midair.

"I saw that stall coming a mile away," Envy said, unimpressed.

"So this is how you managed to get the advantage over that lad?" Relius asked.

"Of course," Envy said. "Kain is one who is capable of the impossible. I can't be too safe from someone like him, now can I?"

"Sounds like one hell of a Gary Stu to me," Hazama said.

"He has his own faults," Envy said. "For instance, he may be seemingly immortal, but individuals such as Hakumen can easily slay him."

"Then why hasn't he?" Relius asked.

"Because Kain found himself the perfect 'shield'..." Envy said. "And I would've interfered because I still needed Kain for my plans."

"And pray tell, jester," Relius said. "What is your plan? To simply resurrect the Black Beast? I highly doubt that you can control something like that."

"Oh, you just wait and see," Envy said. "As you can probably tell, I am more competent than I look."

Relius said nothing.

"Naias."

Ignis returned to Relius and charged at Envy, but Envy only stopped it with his own hand, surrounding Ignis in a trance that made it float. But this gave Hazama an opening.

"Hungry Coils!"

A chain grabbed at Envy from behind, as Hazama flung Envy to the ground. This allowed Ignis to break free, where it crashed down upon Envy like a drill. Envy was grounded as Ignis drilled into his guts, but psychic swords shot out from nowhere and stabbed Ignis, making it stop and retreat. As Envy got back up, he placed his hands on the wounds, as they started to heal.

"Healing," Relius commented. "So you have healing capabilities too."

"Don't think Kain is the only one with immortality tricks," Envy said as he lifted his arm at them. "Psycho Stream!"

Six needles of energy shot out from his arm and rained down on Hazama and Relius, but Hazama shot a chain at Envy, reeling himself towards the masked jester.

"Wind Serpent's Fang!"

Hazama slammed his foot on Envy, slamming his head to the ground. As Hazama was about to stomp on him, Envy's mask flashed a little. When Hazama crushed his mask, Envy suddenly exploded.

"What the-!?" Hazama yelled as he flew back.

"Id Lauger."

Relius suddenly turned around and released a huge mechanical cog that rammed into Envy from behind. Envy managed to block it.

"So you managed to predict where I would appear, huh," Envy said.

"I have seen your battle with the lad and Hakumen," Relius said.

"So you think you know my moves then?" Envy asked.

"I can say that I have a good idea," Relius smirked. "I was able to deduce that you would trick Hazama and try a sneak attack on me."

Envy warped back from Relius, only to be greeted by Ignis trapping him inside a large aura.

"VOL TEDO."

The aura burst, sending Envy back, where Hazama managed to jump in for a follow up.

"SERPENT'S INFERNAL RAPTURE!"

Hazama disappeared, then reappeared kicking Envy sky-high with a green pillar of energy, sending Envy into the skies.

"Did that do it?" Hazama asked as he pondered to the skies. A distortion that seemed to stop time spread out form the skies and the entire city.

"DESPAIR RAIN!"

From the red heavens, a storm of psychic swords rained down upon the two. They managed to barely evade them, but the force of the blades caused the earth to decimate and crumble beneath them.

"Whoa!" Hazama yelled.

"Wha-!?" Relius yelled.

As the ground was eradicated by the onslaught of swords, Envy just floated down without a care.

"Is that all you got?" Envy asked. "Honestly, I figured that you two would do better than this. I guess I was wrong. Thanks for ruining my expectations in you two."

As the two got up from the rubble, Hazama shot an angry glare at Envy.

"You piece of shit!" he yelled. "I'm going to murder you when I get my hands on you!"

"Oh, will you now, 'Terumi'," Envy said. "Please, by all means go ahead. Try it."

"You're asking for it, you masked piece of shit!" Hazama yelled.

Hazama released a time-stopping distortion, where a green ring surrounded him.

"Hungry Coils!"

"Strike Barrier."

Hazama shot a chain at Envy to drag him to the ground, but Envy surrounded himself with a bunch of energy blades that blocked off the chain. The barrier then dispersed, where the blades arced in a turning motion, sweeping Hazama off his feet.

"Gah! You little-!" Hazama yelled.

"Ignis," Relius commanded.

Ignis flew up to Envy and attempted to drag the jester to the ground, but Envy stopped Ignis in its tracks with his trance, and punished it to the ground. As Envy was about to move, he suddenly stopped, as the entire city started to shake, where a faint roar could be heard.

"What was that?" Hazama asked.

"...Looks like the first phase is complete," Envy said.

"What are you talking about?" Relius demanded.

"Well, this has been somewhat fun," Envy said. "But I must be going now."

"Oh, so you think we'll just let you leave!?" Hazama growled.

"Yes," Envy said as he lifted his arms. "I do."

Energy charged at his hands as he started to fall to the ground.

"**COUS DE GRAS!"**

Envy plummeted to the ground on his feet and ripped the ground with his arms, where a huge circle spread out, trapping Relius and Hazama and Ignis was instantly disabled.

"What the-!?" Hazama blurted.

"What!?" Relius exclaimed.

They were suddenly pinned down by psychic swords that shot out from nowhere. Envy motioned with his hands, forcibly dragging Hazama and Relius towards him.

"**HYAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

He then proceeded to charge energy to his fingertips, then repeatedly shot them mercilessly. Envy then proceeded to lift them into the air. As they ascended to the air, a myriad of endless psychic swords surrounded them.

"**Now...let this despaired show end!"**

At his command, the swords shot at them, stabbing and slaughtering them in a storm of swords. After a moment of the sword onslaught, the swords flew up into the air and stabbed the two to the ground in a sea of blood.

"Now then..." Envy said. "I must be on my way..."

With that, Envy teleported out of the area, leaving Hazama and Relius to bleed to death.

* * *

A magic circle appeared in a snowy city of the 9th Hierarchical City of Akitsu. Kidou's group appeared from the circle.

"Where are we?" Bullet asked.

"Is this Akitsu?" Makoto asked.

"Why are we here?" Noel asked.

"Now...I'm pretty sure she's supposed to be here..." Kidou said. "Nwa! This is cold!"

Kidou shivered in the cold and wrapped his arms around him.

"Noel? Makoto?" a familiar voice suddenly spoke up.

The group turned to see a woman with red hair and red eyes wearing a black uniform. Noel and Makoto couldn't believe their eyes. They knew who that person was.

"Ts-Tsubaki!?" Noel and Makoto blurted.

"It was you two!" Tsubaki exclaimed happily.

The three rejoiced and embraced each other.

"What're you two doing here?" Tsubaki asked.

"We were looking for you," Noel said.

"You were?" Tsubaki asked. "Wait, how did you find me?"

"I managed to track ya'," Kidou said.

She looked up to see the rest of the group, where she saw some familiar faces.

"Kagura? Sir Hakumen?" Tsubaki asked.

"It has been a while, Tsubaki Yayoi," Hakumen said.

"Yo! Looks like you found your friends!" Kagura said cheerfully.

"Why are you all here?" Tsubaki asked.

"I can explain that," Kidou said. "Tsubaki Yayoi. You awakened the Izayoi, correct?"

"H-How did you know?" Tsubaki asked.

Kidou pointed to Kagura.

"I know a few things," Kagura said.

"Now getting to the point," Kidou said. "We don't have much time left. Tsubaki Yayoi. We want you to help us strike the NOL."

"What!?" Tsubaki blurted.

"Sounds pretty ironic, doesn't it," Kidou said. "We're asking you of all people to help us defeat the NOL. But hear us out."

A little skeptical, Tsubaki decided to listen to their story. Kidou explained the current situation to Tsubaki. How they all regrouped, revealed the truth to Tsubaki, waited a few minutes to let Tsubaki recover from a massive nosebleed when they told her that she would be married to Jin and have kids, explained Envy and Relius' kidnapping of Kain and Iris, how Envy mutilated Kain and killed iris' parents, and Kagura's coup de tat and the agreement.

"Okay, I need some time to process this..." Tsubaki said as she wiped her nosebleed.

"Sure," Kidou said. "But the point is, we need as much help as we can get. Knowing Envy, he's got something up his sleeve."

Tsubaki looked a little dazed and confused from all the information, but she managed to shake it off.

"I'm not sure..." Tsubaki said. "It feels uneasy going against the NOL..."

The two girls looked worried, while Kidou glared at her.

"But...I know what I must do," Tsubaki said. "I must follow my own path. I will help."

Noel and Makoto rejoiced as Kidou nodded satisfied.

"But," Tsubaki said. "First, I request a battle."

"? With who?" Kidou asked confused.

Tsubaki shifted her glance at Hakumen.

"With you, Sir Hakumen," Tsubaki said.

"Tsubaki?" Noel asked.

"I want to show him my justice," Tsubaki declared.

"Your call, Hakumen," Kidou said.

"...Very well..." Hakumen said.

Tsubaki summoned the Izayoi, as angelic wings that came out of it wrapped Tsubaki. She was soon cladded with the Izayoi armor, and wielded her sword. Hakumen took out his long nodachi and armed it.

"Show me that resolve of yours," Hakumen said.

* * *

Hikari got lost in the mansion once again.

"I never will understand this place..." she whined. "And I thought the estate was big..."

As she made a turn, hoping to find Kain, she bumped into someone.

"Kya!"

"Gya!"

Hikari fell back, but landed on something.

"Huh?" Hikari asked.

She looked to see a dark cat had cushioned her fall.

"Is this?" Hikari asked.

"What're you doing, Hikari?" a voice asked.

She looked up to see Alicia, and Mary, who was rubbing her nose.

"Did I bump into you?" Hikari asked.

"No shit, Cinderella!" Mary yelled.

"Have you seen Saya?" Alicia asked.

"Eh? Saya?" Hikari asked. "No, I haven't."

"Oh, shit..." Mary said.

"She's missing?" Hikari asked.

"She was supposed to be in Kain's room, but I couldn't find her anywhere," Alicia said.

"Wait, she was in Kain's room!?" Hikari yelled.

"That's not the point!" Alicia yelled. "If she finds Kain with Iris...!"

Hikari thought about it for a moment and suddenly realized the urgency of the situation. If Saya, who was literally insane for Kain, saw him with Iris...

"We need to find her!" Hikari cried.

The three rushed down the halls, hoping to find Saya.

"So what happens if she finds them?" Hikariasked.

"Isn't it obvious!?" Mary yelled. "She'll murder both of them!"

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Alicia said. "In fact, I'm more worried about Saya."

"Huh? Why?" Mary asked. "She has a frickin' Arma!"

"You forget," Alicia said. "Those two have Armas as well."

"Right..." Mary said.

"And there's one more problem..." Alicia said.

Hikari and Mary looked confused.

"She's with Kain."

* * *

At Wadatsumi, or what was left of it, Hazama and Relius managed to recover from Envy's onslaught.

"Goddamn it..." Hazama muttered as he coughed up blood. "I can't believe we even survived that...Heh! I guess he wasn't that tough after all!"

"Are you seriously saying that?" Relius asked in disbelief as Ignis helped him up. "It was obvious that he was holding back."

"How the hell was he holding back!?" Hazama shot back.

"Obviously," Relius said. "He is planning to use us in the future."

"Use us how?" Hazama asked.

"That, I don't know," Relius said. "We will have to find out ourselves."

He examined the landscape. For holding back, Envy did a number to the area. The city was completely reduced to rubble. The red stains covered what was left of the buildings. The scent of blood and seithr filled the air. What was visible, was a large black mass that stood perfectly fine, despite the destruction.

"For now..." Relius said. "We retreat."

"What!?" Hazama yelled. "We're not seriously gonna leave the little shitter here, are we!?"

"Do you honestly think that we can take him in this state?" Relius shot back.

"Kh!" Hazama muttered. "So we're just gonna leave like this!?"

"Suck up your pride for once," Relius shot back.

"What!?" Hazama growled.

"..Hazama..." Relius said. "Do you know what day it is today?"

"Ah!?" Hazama hissed. "It's January 31, so!?"

"It is almost time," Relius said.

Hazama's anger suddenly dropped, and he put on a rather devilish grin.

"Oh..." Hazama said. "I see..."

"...We must complete the Sword of Hades."

* * *

In the black mass, Envy had warped into the huge room. In the middle of it was a large black being. It was cladded in black, bulky armor, a large tail, a large claw where his left hand was, and an even larger head of a beast that represented a sword. His wings looked like large claws, and he has black and bloodshot red eyes.

"Arise...Black Beast..." Envy said.

The beast suddenly looked up and roared an ear-piercing scream. Envy had to cover is ears to withstand the screech.

"Well, at least I have a clone to work with..." Envy said, his head ringing.

He looked at the several clustered files that scattered the floor.

"This information came in handy," Envy said. "Albeit it was hard to reverse engineer the Murakumo Unit and replace the base with Kain, especially if the original isn't here, but I somehow managed."

Envy examined his newly born creation.

"But...I can do much better than this..." Envy said. "Yes...this must be perfect. Or else everything will be for naught."

Envy stared at his creation, who stared back at him.

"Judging from the results, this beast should have reprised all the abilities as its original...or at least his full potential..." Envy said. "So I guess we can work from there."

He made a screen appear, where several files had appeared, along with a date: 1/31/2200.

"Only two more days, eh?" Envy asked. "I better work fast."

Envy took off his mask, and held it in his hand. He made a huge grin as he stared at the screen.

"Soon..." the jester said. "Soon...it will all be mine...my dreams will become reality..."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** Well, that ends that. Another chapter off my chest. As you can probably tell, Kidou's moves are based on Arthurian legend (the knights, the Welsh dragon, and the greek word for Great Britain). And writing Kagura's fight was just a pain in the ass, mostly because we no next to nothing about Kagura, only that he's apparently a charge character with projectiles and anti-airs, so I only based him off of the gameplay he had during the newest BBCP trailer. And to show his connections to his dad, I gave Kidou the flame ability similar to Kagura's, only he has white flames.

On another note, I bet you guys must be angry at me for not describing his face, even though he took off his mask. Seriously, do you really think I'm gonna reveal his identity before the final battle? Not yet. There's still more to come, and I'm figuring out the perfect opportunity for the big reveal, so be prepared. Also we finally established a date: January 31, two days from the arcade endings. Okay, all that's left to write into the story is Celica, Nine and Terumi. Isn't this gonna be fun *in a sarcastic tone*. Also, I sense a death flag for Saya. I wonder why.

And I finally get to do this!

Kidou

Drive: Sword Switch: Allows him to switch from Caliburn to Collbrande and vice versa.

Overdrive: Avalon: Allows Kidou to raise his attack speed while wielding Caliburn, raise his attack power while wielding Collbrande, and lower the defense of the opponents. In return, he can't use his drive, and he can't use his Crush Trigger. Isn't that scary.

Anyways, hoped you enjoyed it as always, and tell me what you think. See ya!


	24. Chapter 24: Conflict

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 24: Conflict**

* * *

**AN:** My God, this was long overdue. Sorry about that, a lot happened. Hope this chapter makes up for my delay!

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_Huh...Never thought I'd see the day that I'd fight Iris..._

_She managed to keep up with me ever since we met..._

_And she has an Arma..._

_If anything, she should put up a good fight._

_Especially if she managed to beat Alicia of all people..._

* * *

Kain and Iris headed out of the castle and out to the rose garden. The gentle breeze and the moonlight greeted them as they walked out to the garden.

"Well, we're here," Kain said.

"Y-Yeah..." Iris said timidly.

"So, you ready?"

"Uh huh!"

The two walked away from each other and faced each other. Kain wielded his sword.

"Ready your weapon," Kain said.

Iris deployed her Aegis.

"Do you want me to go easy on you?" Kain asked.

"No, I want you to go all out," Iris declared.

"Huh?"

"I want to see your full potential," Iris said. "Don't hold back!"

Kain looked surprised at Iris, but smiled.

"All right then," Kain said. "I'm not holding back then!"

Iris got ready to block whatever attack Kain was going to through at her. Kain suddenly dashed towards Iris at blinding speed and smashed his sword against her shield, pushing her back.

"Wha-!?" she yelped.

Kain grabbed Iris' Aegis and flung her across the field. As Iris managed to regain her balance, Kain was already in front of her and jabbed her with his knee.

"Gaha!" Iris gagged.

As Iris flinched, Kain followed up his knee jab with a heel drop that smashed Iris to the ground. Kain proceeded to aim his rifle at Iris and mercilessly shot her rapidly. Iris managed to roll out-of-the-way and got back up.

"Shine Blaster!"

Iris aimed her shield at Kain and shot an immense laser at Kain.

"Dread Rifle!"

Kain only erased her laser with his rapid-fire, and even managed to nail her with his buster.

"Aegis Boomerang!"

As iris got back, she flung her shield at Kain, but Kain ducked and made his move.

"Grave Sword!"

Kain shot an energy sword, slashing Iris' gut.

"Guagh!" she gagged as she got back.

The Aegis came back to Iris as she grabbed it.

"Aegis Crawl–!"

"Strike Inferno!"

Before Iris could roll her Aegis at Kain, Kain struck at Iris with his sword on fire.

'_I can't even touch him! Is Kain __**this**__ strong!?' _Iris thought.

Kain only stared at Iris with no hesitation or remorse as he jumped into the air.

"Sins Downfall!"

Kain dove down and struck Iris with his sword, sending her flying. Iris landed on her feet and tried to make her next move, but Kain ran up to her, grabbed her, slashed her down and nailed her with a strong kick. As Iris fell back, Kain charged energy into his sword.

"DESTRUDO..."

'_Oh no!'_ Iris thought. "LUSTER BLAZER!"

Fearing one of Kain's strongest techniques, iris aimed her shield at Kain and shot a tremendous stream of light energy at Kain as he made a mad dash at Iris. The laser overwhelmed Kain, but Kain managed to push through and nail Iris with his charged blade.

"...BLADE!"

Iris shot into the wall, destroying the wall of the castle.

"Gah!? That didn't work!?" Iris yelled.

She checked on Kain, but there were bruises and burn marks on him.

"No...It did hurt him..." Iris said. "He just shrugged it off!?"

Kain jumped into the air and aimed his rifle at Iris.

"BLOODY RAIN!"

Kain unleashed a tempest of red bullets upon Iris, who managed to shield herself from the storm.

"HELLBOUND!"

Kain lit his foot on fire and unleashed it on Iris. Although she managed to shield herself from the storm, she couldn't take the fire blast.

"KYAAA!" she cried as she fell back.

Kain landed on the ground and checked to see if she was down.

"Aegis Striker!"

From out of the rubble, Iris charged at Kain with her Aegis to ram hi, but Kain stopped it with his hand.

"Oh come on!" Iris yelled.

"It's a pretty common tactic to counter-strike using the dust cloud as a cover," Kain said calmly. "And I've seen all the tricks in the book."

Kain pushed Iris back, as she looked defeated and sighed.

"That was nuts..." Iris said. "I couldn't even keep up with you at all..."

"Don't worry about it," Kain said, rubbing her head. "You did pretty well."

"I did not..." Iris shot back.

"Well there goes the morale support," Kain said. "Look, you're strong. Albeit you just became a fighter in like what three days, so don't expect much. Skill takes time."

"How long have you been training, Kain?" Iris asked.

"7-8 years, something like that," Kain said.

"What!? Really!?" Iris yelled.

"Yeah," Kain answered.

"I can't compete with that..." Iris mumbled.

"Don't worry about it," Kain said.

"But I wanna be stronger!" Iris complained. "I actually want to help out...and who knows how much longer we have until Envy makes a move..."

Kain sighed and scratched his head.

"Well then, I guess we'll have to make the best of our time then," Kain said as he lifted his sword up. "You gonna quit?"

Iris looked up to Kain, then stood back up.

"No way," Iris said as she lifted up her shield. "I'm not giving up yet!"

"That's the spirit," Kain said happily.

"...Do you mind if I join in?" a voice asked.

As the two were about to spar, Saya interrupted them as she walked into the fight.

"Saya," Kain said. "You finally woke up."

"Yeah," Saya said. "I wanna fight Iris. If that's fine."

"Huh?" Kain asked. "Sure, I guess."

Saya faced Iris.

"I never introduced myself, yet," Iris said. "My name's–."

"So you're the skank that's been slowing down **my **brother," Saya said coldly.

"W-What...?" Iris asked, rather shocked.

"I don't know who you think you are," Saya said. "But I recommend that you stay away from Brother."

"Oh?" Iris asked, starting to become a little agitated. "And why is that?"

"Because Brother is **mine**," Saya said. "And I'm not gonna let some backwater bimbo bitch steal him away from me."

Iris sprung a vain.

"Excuse me?" Iris asked angrily. "You're Kain's sister, right? Well, I don't think Kain would approve of having an incestuous relationship with his own sister."

"How would you know what Brother's tastes are?" Saya asked. "What? You have the right to butt into his personal life now? What are you? His caretaker?"

"I only find it common sense," Iris shot back. "And also, who are you to call someone you just met a 'backwater bimbo bitch'? Don't you know any manners?"

"Some bitch like you doesn't deserve 'manners' from me," Saya growled. "Now why don't you just waltz your useless weak ass out of here and leave Brother to me."

"What!?" Iris yelled. She was seething with rage.

"Yo, calm down you two–!" Kain tried to stop the fight.

"Please stay out of this, Kain!"

"Stay out of it, Brother!"

Kain was immediately shut off by both of their angry commands.

_What the hell!? The hell's going on!?_

Kain was only left in confusion as the two girls who harbored romantic emotions towards Kain glared at each other.

"Why don't we settle this then," Saya proposed as she summoned her Kusanagi and donned the armor.

"Fine with me..." Iris hissed as she held up her shield.

"What the hell's going on?" Kain asked himself as the two slammed their weapons against each other.

* * *

Relius was working on his computer, while checking on the tube containing Nu. Hazama walked in casually, eating a bowl of boiled eggs.

"How's it goin'?" Hazama asked.

"...Where did you get those eggs?" Relius asked.

"Oh, I took them from your fridge," Hazama said as he ate an egg. "Hope you don't mind."

Relius only sighed angrily, but continued on his work.

"So how's the sword doin'?" Hazama asked as he continued to munch on an egg.

"If you must know, it's nearly complete," Relius commented. "You'll be able to test it within a few moments."

"Alright, finally something fun to do," Hazama said. "So where to test her out..."

Hazama kept on tapping his lip with his finger, pondering on where to unleash the Sword of Hades.

"Ooh, I got something!" Hazama exclaimed.

"Oh? And pray tell, where would that be?" Relius asked.

"Oh you just wait and see," Hazama said.

"...You better pay the utmost caution, Hazama," Relius said. "You will never know when Envy shall strike."

"What makes you think that?" Hazama asked.

"He has obtained the blood of the Black Beast," Relius responded. "With his power, there is a high chance that he has somehow constructed his own Black Beast using the data he has obtained up to this point."

"So you're sayin' that he can unleash that piece of shit on me at any time when I'm out trsting the sword?"

"I'm saying," Relius said. "That even I am not confident that the Sword, even in its completed state, is potent enough to handle the Black Beast. Who knows how much stronger the beast is in Envy's hands. For all we know, he could even be stronger than the both of us combined."

"Heh! I'd like to see that!" Hazama scoffed.

"May I remind you of our defeat at Envy's hands?" Relius asked.

Hazama stopped and glared at Relius.

"...You must not underestimate them," Relius said. "They may have not been a threat before, but now that they have allied themselves with the warriors from the future, they now have access to much more superior and advanced technology, and a more powerful version of the Azure."

"...I'll take that as a warning," Hazama said.

"Of course, if you were to unleash your 'true persona'," Relius said. "You might be able to wipe them out little by little."

"I'm saving that for a better occasion," Hazama said. "All I really need to do is to activate the Nemesis Horizon before Envy does anything meddlesome and it'll make one hell of a grand entrance."

After Hazama finished talking, Relius finished off what he was doing on his computer.

"There," Relius said. "The Sword is complete."

With a push of a button, the tank started to open and release a flow of cold liquid. From out of the cold air, Nu floated down and touched the ground with her bare feet.

"Now do as you please," Relius said as he got up to leave. "Just don't break her."

"And where are you headed to?" Hazama asked.

"I need to take care of some business," Relius said. "Something have peeked my interest."

With that, Relius headed out, leaving Hazama with Nu.

"Well, let's gather some guinea pigs for testing," Hazama said. "Oh Phantom."

From behind, Phantom warped into the room.

"Please escort us to the Sealed Space," Hazama said. "And also bring in some exceptional guests. I'll leave the decision to you."

Phantom said nothing and warped the three to Hazama's desired destination.

* * *

"Aegis Blade!"

"Camellia!"

As Izayoi flung her blade up, Hakumen only jumped and slammed his blade against Izayoi's blade. As Izayoi's blade smashed into the ground, Hakumen slammed his heel on Izayoi's head. As Izayoi got back up, Hakumen swiped the ground with his sword, slicing Izayoi's face. Izayoi managed to get back up, but Hakumen was one step ahead of her.

"Crimson!"

Hakumen smashed the hilt of his blade at Izayoi's gut.

"Guagh..." Izayoi gagged as she stepped back.

"What's the matter?" Hakumen asked. "Is your justice that weak!?"

"You can do it, Tsubaki!" Noel exclaimed.

"Get him!" Makoto cheered.

Izayoi recovered from the blow and pointed her sword at Hakumen.

"I won't give up!" she declared.

"Then show me your full potential!" Hakumen yelled as he swung his sword at her. Izayoi managed to guard it with her sword, but Hakumen applied enough force to slam Izayoi into a wall. Izayoi kicked Hakumen in the mask, making him fall back. She then sliced his feet with her blade, making him fall, but Hakumen grabbed Izayoi and slammed her to the ground as he fell. Hakumen quickly rolled back and brandished his sword.

"Remnant!"

Hakumen slammed his sword at Izayoi, but she rolled out-of-the-way, only to get hit by Hakumen's following sweeping slash. Hakumen waited for Izayoi to get back up, then went for his next move.

"EMPTY SKY FORM..."

Hakumen lifted his blade up high as it charged energy.

"JUSTICE PHORIZER!"

Izayoi got back up and quickly created a large circle that launched a large blade at Hakumen.

"SUMMER'S ADVANCE!"

Hakumen slammed his sword at the blade that shot at him, but the force of the collision managed to push him away.

"Gu..." Hakumen grunted. "GUUUUAAAAGH!"

With extreme force, Hakumen managed to break the blade with his sword.

"What!?" Izayoi exclaimed.

Hakumen smashed the sword to the ground, releasing a huge wave at Izayoi. She managed to dodge it by flying above it, but Hakumen jumped into the air after her.

"Firefly!"

Hakumen kicked Izayoi in the jaw, disorientating her. As she fell, Hakumen dashed towards her.

"Agito!"

Hakumen kicked in a circular motion, smashing Izayoi to the ground. As she plummeted, Hakumen dropped down and jabbed Izayoi in the gut with his sword.

"Gah!" Izayoi coughed.

Hakumen moved his sword away, allowing Izayoi to struggle to get back up.

"Will you continue?" Hakumen asked.

Izayoi grabbed her sword and held it downwards.

"I will!" Izayoi yelled. "Freedom Justice!"

Izayoi held up her sword, releasing a time stopping distortion.

"...Interesting..." Hakumen said. "Releasing Unit!"

Hakumen did the same, as the air filled with a heavy pressure from the dual distortion.

"SLAVER TRANS-AM!"

"EMPTY SKY TRUE FORM...LIGHT OF JUDGMENT!"

Izayoi tapped her sword to the ground as her two shields floated besides her, while Hakumen held up his sword and made a stance, where his hair flowed violently. As soon as he finished, Izayoi bombarded him with a barrage of slashes along with strikes and jabs from her two shields, while Hakumen intercepted and slashed down all of her attacks with great speed.

"EMPTY SKY FORM..."

He used Izayoi's trigger happy state to activate his red barrier, where he sliced through her at blinding speed. It followed up with several multiple slices.

"WINTER'S REPOSTE!"

As Izayoi recovered from the counter, Hakumen made his next move.

"EMPTY SKY FORM..."

Hakumen held up his sword and charged even more energy into the blade.

"SUMMER'S ADVANCE!"

Hakumen slammed his sword to the ground. The energy ripped through the land and overwhelmed Izayoi in a huge wave of intense energy.

"KYAAAA!" she cried as the wave ripped through the area.

Luckily, there was no major damage to the town itself, but the environment outside of the town where the wave traveled took all the suffering. From the ashes of what used to be a snowy forest, Izayoi struggled to get back up. Before she could realize it, Hakumen had his sword up in her face.

"Do you wish to continue?" Hakumen asked.

Izayoi looked at Hakumen's mask with anguish, but took a deep breath.

"...I concede..." Izayoi said. "You are the victor."

Hakumen put away his sword as the distortion wore off.

"Tsubaki!" Noel and Makoto exclaimed.

The rest of the group, minus Kagura, Kidou and Bullet, gathered around Izayoi. Noel helped her up as Izayoi recalled her shields.

"That was amazing, Tsubaki!" Noel exclaimed.

"Yeah! You were all POW and BOOM and KAPOW!" Makoto yelled while making more childish sound effects.

"Calm down, Makoto," Izayoi said. "But still, thanks you two."

Izayoi then faced Hakumen, then bowed in front of him.

"Thank you for the fight," Izayoi said.

"...You did well..." Hakumen said.

"Sir Hakumen..." Izayoi said.

While Izayoi was gazing at Hakumen, Noel and Makoto notice that Kagura, Kidou and Bullet were discussing something, Kagura handed Bullet something, and she left.

"Where's Bullet going?" Makoto asked.

"Huh?" Kidou asked. "Oh, Kagura sent her to scout Ibukido."

"Huh?" Noel asked.

"Well, we need to know the terrain before invading a city," Kidou explained.

"Plus, she can tell us on the NOL's actions before we start our invasion," Kagura explained.

"I see..." Noel said, sort of confused.

"Well, for now we should head back to Requiem and–!?," Kidou started to say, but something caught his attention. "BEHIND YOU!"

The four turned to see a robed woman behind them.

"What the!?" Makoto yelled.

"You're–!" Hakumen yelled.

"Crap!" Kidou yelled as he and Kagura tried to stop the woman.

But the woman created a large portal, and vanished, along with Noel, Izayoi, Makoto and Hakumen, before Kidou and Kagura could even touch her.

"Shit..." Kidou muttered as the two stared at the spot where their friends once stood.

* * *

Meanwhile, Saya and Iris were shooting each other with energy-like projectiles as they tried to murder each other. Iris flung her shield at Saya, who only slammed her swords at it, deflecting the shield. Iris ran up and caught the shield and dashed at Saya.

"Aegis Striker!"

"Rupturing Heavens!"

As Iris charged at Saya, Saya unleashed four orbs that each shot one concentrated laser at Iris, stopping her in her tracks.

"Kh...! Aegis Crawling!"

"Hades Punishment!"

Iris rolled her Aegis at Saya, who shot some of her swords behind and made them disappear, only to shoot out of the ground, stopping the shield. The shield shot back to iris, who caught it.

"Heh! Is that all you got?" Saya asked.

Iris glared at Saya and aimed her shield at Saya.

"LUSTER BLAZER!"

She shot a tremendous laser at Saya. Saya made a barrier with her eight blades, somehow shielding herself from the blast.

"TEMPEST OF DIVINE WRATH!"

In response, all the orbs that surrounded Saya aimed at Iris and shot a storm of lasers, effectively blocking the laser Iris shot until they were both erased.

"Even this wasn't enough...?" Iris muttered.

"What's the matter?" Saya taunted. "Don't tell me that's all you can do? Just shoot stuff and fling your shield? That's it!?"

"C-Cut me some slack!" Iris yelled. "I only got my Arma a few days ago!"

"Figured..." Saya said. "To think someone like you is with Brother...and you're actually keeping up with me..."

"Huh?" Iris asked.

"...Who the hell do you think you are...?" Saya suddenly asked. "Stealing Brother away from me...? I won't let you...we've been through enough...I finally found him after all of this shit..."

"What're you-?" Iris asked.

"I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME!" Saya suddenly screamed as she suddenly jetted towards Iris.

"GATES OF HEAVEN!"

Saya bound Iris in a stream of light, then created a large gate with her eight blades. The doors opened, where Saya threw Iris in the gate and disappeared, where the doors closed. After a few moments, the doors opened up and Iris flew out all beaten and bruised, while Saya floated out and reclaimed her blades.

"Iris!" Kain cried.

Iris struggled to get back up from the pain, as Saya stared her down.

"Had enough!?" Saya boomed.

"Kh...! Never!" Iris growled as she held her shield up to the sky. "TESTAMENT AEGIS!"

She charged a huge orb of light and pushed it into the air, releasing a tempest of lasers that showered the garden.

"What the-!?" Saya and Kain yelled as they tried to protect themselves.

* * *

A light suddenly flashed from the windows, blinding Ragna. He flinched for a second.

"What the–!?" Ragna yelled.

The light cleared, clearing Ragna's vision.

"The hell was that!?" Ragna yelled.

He looked out the window, where he saw Iris and Saya fighting in the garden, while Kain was just watching.

"The hell they think they're doing!?" Ragna yelled.

He headed to the garden, but heard footsteps and stopped.

"...Wait..." a weary voice said.

Ragna turned to see Jin, carrying his Yukianesa.

"Jin!?" Ragna exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing!? Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"Father!" Itsuki cried.

Itsuki ran after Jin, worried about his well-being.

"You shouldn't be moving with your injuries!" Itsuki protested, offering him a hand. "You need to stay in bed and rest!"

"I'm fine," Jin said, slapping Itsuki's hand away. "More importantly, we have a score to settle."

"Are you serious?" Ragna asked in shock. "You're planning to settle this now of all time? And didn't I tell you to recover!?"

"What's the matter, Brother?" Jin asked in a rather disturbing tone. "Are you scared that I'll kill you?"

"Sure I am," Ragna said sarcastically. "Like I said before, I'm not a heartless bastard who beats up people when they're injured. Plus, now's not the time."

But as Ragna turned to leave, the blade of the ice sword suddenly made it presence on his shoulder.

"You're not going anywhere," Jin said. "We finally reunited. You're not leaving until we settle this once and for all."

"Father!" Itsuki yelled.

Ragna said nothing, grabbed his sword, and swung behind him. Jin jumped out-of-the-way just in time to avoid the swing.

"Fine then," Ragna said. "Since you don't seem to care about your body enough to stay still for a goddamn hour or something, I'll accept your goddamn challenge."

"!? Uncle!? What're you–!?" Itsuki yelled.

Jin smiled with glee.

"But not here," Ragna said. "Once the brats finish their cat fight, we'll settle it at the garden."

"Deal," Jin said.

With that, the two brothers parted ways, one more worried about the younger warriors, while the other was pondering on how to kill his brother with some bliss. Itsuki, with some uneasiness in his expression, followed Jin.

_Goddamn it...like I have time to deal with Jin!_

_Hell, like this is the time to do anything pointless!_

_We need to stop Terumi and this Envy freak!_

With those thoughts in mind, Ragna hurried to the garden to check up on the two fighting.

* * *

Saya and Kain managed to shield themselves from Iris' distortion drive.

"Damn!" Kain exclaimed. "When could you do that!?"

"I...learned how to do that when I fought Alicia," Iris explained nervously.

"You fought against Alicia!?" Saya asked in shock.

"Yeah," Iris said.

"Oh, right, I heard from her," Kain said. "How did it go? Wasn't she tough?"

"She was insane!" Iris sighed. "But I managed to get out of that black space."

"Seriously!?" Saya yelled.

"You managed to get out of Alicia's 'Negative Space', eh?" Kain said. "Nice! Not many people can actually do that."

"It's that much of an accomplishment?" Iris asked.

"You should feel proud," Kain said.

Iris blushed a little, much to Saya's frustration.

"But at any rate," Kain said. "You two should call it a break."

"What!?" the two girls yelled. "Why!?"

"You're both in no shape to continue," Kain said. "Don't push yourselves and give it a rest."

"That's not–!" the two yelled, but Kain suddenly had his edge against both of their necks.

"Or would you rather have me as an opponent?" Kain asked.

"N-No sir..." Iris said.

"We'll stop..." Saya said, defeated.

"Good," Kain said as he put away his sword. "Now c'mon, let's head back."

From the doors, Alicia, Hikari and Mary burst out from the doors.

"Saya!?" Alicia exclaimed.

"Huh!? What's wrong?" Saya asked, surprised.

"Oh good, you didn't do anything drastic..." Alicia sighed with relief.

"What makes you think that?" Kain asked. "What the hell did you think she would do?"

"Oh...'things'..." Alicia said nervously, blushing.

"Huh?" Kain asked confused.

The other two girls blushed at the thoughts of what Saya might have done out of pure rage and jealousy.

"Well let's just head back and–," Kain said, but suddenly stopped.

He quickly turned to see a robed woman was behind them the whole time.

"What the–!?" Kain yelled.

"Kain!" they cried.

Before Kain could grab his sword, the woman teleported Kain, Iris and Saya out of the castle.

"Oh no..." Alicia muttered.

Ragna suddenly burst out of the doors.

"Kain!" Ragna yelled.

He ran in the garden, only to find no traces of his future son.

"What!? Where is he!?" Ragna asked.

He looked at Alicia, who had a grim look on her face.

"This is bad...!" Alicia said.

* * *

In a concealed space. There seemed to be no end to the area, but there was no exit at all. There was a futuristic pattern that repeated itself along the air, as the ground was just luminescent hexagons that flowed along the ground. Within a moment, Noel, Izayoi, Makoto and Hakumen teleported there.

"What the-!?" Makoto exclaimed.

"Where are we?" Noel asked.

At that moment, Kain, Iris and Saya teleported there.

"What the hell!?" Kain exclaimed.

"Kain!?" Noel exclaimed.

"! Noel! Makoto! Tsubaki!?" Kain yelled. "What the hell's–!?"

"Welcome, all of you," a voice interrupted.

They all looked to see a familiar, yet scornful face with a crescent smile walk towards them. It was Hazama. Or better known as...

"Terumi!" Hakumen yelled.

"Terumi?" Kain asked.

"Where are we!?" Noel demanded.

"Ooh...how demanding we became," Hazama said. "Welcome to the 'Sealed Space'. An area that exists outside of this world. There is no exit out of this place. So we're here until one of your friends manage to break you out, or until the day you die."

Hakumen and Kain took out their swords and faced it at Hazama.

"And why have you brought us here!?" Hakumen demanded.

"Hey, I didn't choose who would be brought into here," Hazama said. "I left the decision to Phantom. This was entirely her decision."

"But you still have a reason to bring us here, regardless of who it was, don't you?!" Kain yelled.

"How sharp," Hazama said. "And I assume you're the rumored Kain that's all the rage?"

"And you're Yuuki Terumi, I presume," Kain said.

"Oh, so you know of me!" Hazama exclaimed.

"No shit," Kain said. "You're considered the most notorious and infamous criminal in history, well until Envy showed up."

"I see..." Hazama said. "So I'll be remembered in history. A rather harsh title, but I'll take what I can get."

"Enough talk!" Hakumen growled. "Why have you brought us here!?"

"Oh, right," Hazama said. "I wanted to test a little project, and I needed some fine guinea pigs to test her out."

"'Her'?" Kain asked.

"Yes," Hazama said as he snapped his fingers. "Her."

From out of nowhere, a large sword like Noel's Murakumo and Saya's Kusanagi shot down from the sky, as a girl who looked like Noel and Saya floated down. She had silver hair braided into one long braid with a miniature sword on the end, a red left eye, an eye patch over her right eye, and a light blue jumpsuit and a long cape with red tape-like seals on the end.

"What the hell?" Kain asked. "Is that...Noel?"

While Kain, Iris and Saya looked confused, the others except for Hakumen, had a rather grim expression on their faces.

"Prime Field Device...number 13...!" Noel said with horror. "Nu!"

The girl glared at the group coldly, showing no signs of emotions.

"Loading...loading...loading..." Nu murmured. "Loading complete."

"How's that possible!?" Noel suddenly yelled. "Why is she still alive!? I saw her drop into the Boundary!"

"Yes, but her love for old Rags and her desire to fuse with him," Hazama explained in a mocking tone. "Apparently was enough to revive herself. Isn't the power of love impressive?"

"Wh-What is this!?" Izayoi asked.

"Oh? Major Yayoi?" Hazama asked, then sighed. "Figured you would betray us for that homosexual."

Izayoi and Makoto glared at Hazama.

"Oh, scary," Hazama said. "All I need you guys to do is to test out the 'Sword of Hades' for me."

"The Sword of Hades!?" Hakumen gasped. "You fiend! Why have you brought about something like that!?"

"Oh, I have many reasons," Hazama said, narrowing his eyes at Kain and smiled. "But enough talk. Kain! I do hope you can survive. I'm looking forward to your efforts against the Sword."

Nu suddenly twitched.

"Kain...?" she asked.

"Yes, Kain," Hazama said. "Remember what I told you? The brat who's Ragna's son? And look, mommy's here too."

He pointed to Kain, then Noel.

"Have fun," Hazama said as he patted her back and walked away.

"Kain..." Nu murmured.

"Huh? Me?" Kain asked.

"...Die..." Nu said.

"Wha-?" Kain asked, but was suddenly stabbed by swords that shot out fo nowhere. "Guagh!?"

"Kain!" Iris cried.

"Brother!" Saya screamed.

As Kain fell to his knees, he pulled out the swords, where Nu suddenly donned herself in a similar way as Saya and Noel with their Murakumos, now sporting a sleek armor with eight floating swords and a visor covering her eyes, only revealing one soulless red eye. Nu suddenly jetted towards Kain and slashed his face with her sword-like leg.

"Gagh!" Kain gagged as he flew back.

"Kain!" Noel cried.

Nu turned to see Noel, then suddenly shot swords at her. Noel barely protected herself by shooting down the swords with her guns.

"Right..." Nu said. "You're the bitch who stole Ragna from Nu..."

Nu kicked Noel, effectively stabbing her in the gut and pushing her back.

"Gaugh..." Noel gagged.

"Noel!" Izayoi and Makoto cried.

But as they were going to help her, Hazama suddenly appeared in front of them and slashed them with his knife.

"Now, now," Hazama said. "I'm not sure any of you can help them now."

The two glared at Hazama, who only smiled at them.

"Well, if you are that worried about your slut friend there," Hazama said. "Then you would have to deal with me then."

"Gladly."

But just as he said that, Hakumen suddenly attacked Hazama with his sword. Hazama jumped out-of-the-way, as Hakumen held his sword at him.

"Whoa, whoa, there, Hakumen," Hazama said. "Aren't we a bit hasty?"

"Silence, fiend!" Hakumen yelled. "Now I shall slay you from this earth!"

"Heh! Let's see if you can," Hazama said as he took out his knives.

* * *

As Noel flew back, Nu pursued her, until a red bullet shot at Nu. She blocked it without stopping, but Kain's sword suddenly shot at her. The sword stabbed Nu in the arm, where Kain ran up, grabbed it, and drove Nu into the ground. Kain dislodged the sword out of Nu's arm and quickly went to Noel's side.

"Yo! You okay!?" Kain exclaimed.

"I-I'm fine..." Noel said.

"Who the hell is that?" Kain asked.

"Nu..." Noel explained. "A Murakumo Unit..."

"A Murakumo!?" Kain gasped.

"Yes," Noel said. "If anything, she's supposed to be an upgraded version of me..."

"...You don't say..." Kain said, glaring at Nu. "No wonder she looks like you..."

"Be careful..." Noel said. "I can't stress this enough. She is someone you do not want to hold back on..."

"She's that tough...?" Kain asked.

"You just saw what she did..." Noel shot back.

Kain looked at his body. It wasn't even five seconds in the battle, and already he was torn apart.

"Anyway..." Kain said. "Why the hell is she so hostile towards us?"

"I think I have a good idea..." Noel said.

But before she could say anything more, Nu suddenly lashed out at them, forcing them to dodge her assault.

"Goddamn it!" Kain yelled. "What the hell's her problem!? Is Terumi commanding her to do this!?"

"...Ragna belongs to Nu..." Nu suddenly said. "And Nu belongs to Ragna..."

"Huh?" Kain asked. "The hell are you talking about?"

"Ragna can't be with someone else..." Nu said. "Ragna can't have something like a family with someone that's not Nu..."

"The hell're you–?" Kain asked, but suddenly held his sword up in defense as swords shot out of nowhere.

"If you two die..." Nu said. "Then Ragna will be mine...!"

"Isn't this some goddamn Déjà vu..." Kain said as he glanced at Saya, who was charging at Nu to save Kain.

"Get away from Brother, you bitch!" Saya yelled as she slammed her eight blades at Nu.

But Nu protected herself with her blades.

"So you're one of them, huh..." Nu said emotionlessly.

She grabbed Saya's arm and flung her to the side where swords shot out of nowhere and stabbed her as she landed.

"KYAA!" Saya cried

"Saya!" Kain yelled. "You bitch!"

Kain charged energy to his blade and dashed at Nu.

"DESTRUDO...!"

Nu only created a portal in front of her as Kain dashed towards her.

"Die..." Nu said as a barrage of swords shot out, stopping Kain and slaughtering him in a tempest of swords.

"Wha–!? GAAUGH!" Kain yelled as he flew back.

"KAIN!" Iris and Noel cried, then glared at Nu.

Iris charged at Nu, but Nu stopped Iris with her hand.

"What!?" Iris yelled.

Nu said nothing and flung Iris aside, making her crash into Saya.

"Kya!" Iris yelled.

Meanwhile, from behind her, a large sword that had a similar appearance to Nu's sword appeared behind Noel, as she was bathed in a blinding light, donning her Murakumo armor, effectively becoming Mu.

"You'll pay for that!" Mu growled.

She summoned bits that shot at Nu. Nu just dodged the lasers and shot more swords at Mu, who shielded herself from them.

"Die! Die! Die!" Nu yelled as she shot a spinning scythe along the ground, tripping Mu.

Nu then bulleted towards Mu and stomped on her head with her blade-like leg armor.

"Get...off me!" Mu yelled as she grabbed Nu's leg and slammed her to the ground.

Mu jetted back and slammed her swords on Nu, smashing her to the ground. As Mu was about to stab her to the ground, Nu vanished from under her blade, and reappeared behind Mu, where she charged energy for a while, then sent a wave of swords emerging from the ground and under Mu. The swords stabbed Mu from below, where Nu went and grabbed Mu by the neck, trying to strangle her.

"Some bitch like you..." Nu said. "Doesn't deserve to be with Ragna...!"

"Like you're one to talk...!" Mu struggled to say. "You tried to kill Ragna at the Cauldron!"

"That was so that Nu and Ragna could become one!" Nu shouted, tightening her grip on Mu's neck.

"That's inhumane!" Mu shot back as she started to jab at Nu's gut. "Ragna never wanted that to begin with!"

"And how would you know!?" Nu yelled, further tightening her grip. "You thieving bitch!"

"How am I a thieving bitch!? You witch!" Mu growled.

While the two Murakumo girls were trying to kill each other, Kain managed to recover from Nu's onslaught. He puked out blood as he stood back up.

"The hell was that...!?" Kain murmured. "I never seen anything like that...! The closest I've ever experienced was..."

"Brother!" Saya cried.

"Kain!" Iris cried.

The two girls rushed to help Kain up.

"Are you alright?" Iris asked.

"I'm fine..." Kain coughed. "I was just surprised by that Murakumo's attack. It was instantaneous..."

Saya glared at Iris.

"Why didn't you use your shield to protect Brother!?" Saya yelled.

"What!?" Iris growled. "What about you!? You could've shot down the swords with your orbs!"

"Will you two stop it!?" Kain yelled, breaking up the fight. "This isn't the time to be fighting among ourselves, goddamn it!"

The two looked at Kain, then slumped down, defeated.

"If you two won't help," Kain said, grabbing his sword. "Then I'll just do it myself, so stay put."

He ran towards Nu, lifting his left arm.

"Let's go, bitch!" Kain growled as his gauntlet pauldron opened and his eyes glowed red. A black energy burst out of it and quickly wrapped Kain, where he quickly donned the black armor and was instantly transformed into Beast Kain. He quickly gained speed and jetted towards Nu and rammed her with his large sword, forcing Nu to let go of Mu.

"Kh! You!" Nu growled.

"Rematch, bitch!" Beast Kain growled.

* * *

While Beast Kain was dealing with Nu, Iris and Saya were left in the dust.

"...He's right..." Iris said. "This isn't the time to be arguing among ourselves..."

"You're right...although I hate to admit it..." Saya muttered. "We need to help Brother..."

"Hey, Saya...?" Iris asked.

"What?" Saya asked as she got back up.

"...Why do you love Kain so much?" Iris asked.

Saya looked rather dumbfounded.

"He's my brother," Saya said.

"No, you love him more than a brother..." Iris said. "I want to know why..."

Saya stood silent for a moment.

"...Because..." she finally answered. "Brother's the only one who I know won't betray me..."

Iris looked a little confused.

"What about you then?" Saya asked. "Why do you love Brother?"

Iris thought about it for a moment, then smiled.

"Because Kain changed my life..." she said. "Because I want to be with him for the bottom of my heart..."

Saya looked a little surprised, then giggled a little.

"Really? Sounds pretty corny to me..." Saya commented.

"Hey!" Iris pouted, until Saya offered Iris her hand.

"C'mon, 'rival'," Saya said. "Let's go help out our man."

Iris looked surprised, then gladly accepted Saya's hand.

"Let's!" Iris agreed.

* * *

"SERPENT'S INFERNAL RAPTURE!"

"EMPTY SKY FORM: SUMMER'S ADVANCE!"

Hazama strongly kicked Hakumen who intercepted it with his charged blade. The two stepped back after the impact, where Makoto dove in to attack Hazama.

"Corona Upper!"

Makoto upper-cut Hazama in the gut while he was landing, launching him to the sky. Makoto then pursued Hazama as he flew into the sky.

"Take this!" Makoto yelled as she smashed her fist at Hazama, pummeling him to the ground.

"Guough!?" Hazama gagged as he felt the force of Makoto's punch send him to the ground.

As Hazama plummeted, Izayoi appeared under him and created a large portal.

"JUSTICE PHORIZER!"

Izayoi launched a large sword, stabbing Hazama as he fell and sending him away from the three. As Hazama got back up, the three charged at him, but Hazama managed to jump away to avoid their attacks.

"Well, this could be a little troublesome..." Hazama said. "Just curious though...Major Yayoi. If you're siding with them, then I assume you are betraying us then?"

"...Indeed," Izayoi replied.

"...I see," Hazama said. "Then, you have complete control over the Izayoi then?"

"That is for you to find out..." Izayoi shot back in an intimidating tone.

"Ooh...how threatening..." Hazama said. "If I knew this, then I should've brought Relius with me...just to be safe, of course...however..."

Hazama glanced to the side, where Beast Kain was shooting at Nu with his right arm. Even though he was shooting at the speed of a machine gun, Nu was too quick for him to land a single shot.

"The boy is more threatening than you three combined, in my opinion," Hazama said.

Beast Kain continued to shoot at Nu, until he shifted his arm and shot a charged shot, aiming for where Nu will run into. It worked, as the shot hit Nu, but Nu shrugged it off and continued to shoot swords at Beast Kain. While Mu shot down the swords with her bits, Beast Kain rushed at Nu and smashed her head with his sword. Beast Kain then pummeled Nu with the sword, preventing her to shoot swords.

"Take this!" Beast Kain yelled as he jabbed Nu in the gut with one strong blow.

Nu flew back from the blow, but regained her balance and floated back down.

"Oh, come on!" Beast Kain yelled. "Why can't you be a good girl and just die already!?"

"Status change..." Nu said as she created what appeared to be a halo above her head.

"What the...?" Beast Kain asked.

As soon as the halo materialized, Nu suddenly vanished. She reappeared in front of Beast Kain and rammed him with a slow spinning attack, slashing Beast Kain and sending him flying.

_The hell–!?_

Beast Kain managed to float back in the air, but Nu jetted towards him and spun her sword-wings horizontally and vertically, shredding Beast Kain, where she swung a sword that arced in a quarter-circle above her head, stabbing his head and punishing him to the ground. AS he fell, Nu teleported to the ground before him.

"Die..." Nu said as she summoned a large sword from above Beast Kain that stabbed Beast Kain from above, completely driving Beast Kain to the ground.

"The...hell...!?" Beast Kain gagged as he looked up to Nu. "She changed...styles...!?"

As Nu was about to finish Beast Kain, Mu shot at Nu from behind.

"Get away from him!" Mu yelled as she slashed at Nu with her sword-wings.

"Kh! Get out of my way!" Nu hissed as she attacked Mu instead, giving Beast Kain a moment to recover, only to find himself being dragged by a chain.

"Gaugh!? Now what!?" Beast Kain yelled.

Beast Kain dragged along the ground, where he found himself being stepped on by Hazama.

"Terumi!" Beast Kain growled.

"Please, call me 'Hazama' in this state," Hazama said.

"Like I give a shit," Beast Kain shot back.

Beast Kain grabbed Hazama with his wings while Hazama was speculating.

"Oh, so you can use your wings as limbs," Hazama said. "Interesting."

"The hell's your goal anyway!?" Beast Kain yelled as he lifted Hazama off him with his wings.

"Oh nothing really," Hazama said. "I just wanted to test out the Sword since Relius finally got finished it."

"Why the hell is that bitch after me and Noel!?" Beast Kain demanded. "Are you ordering her to do this!?"

"Oh no, this is on her own pure will," Hazama explained.

"Pure will?" Beast Kain asked.

"You see, the Sword, or Nu, is in love with your daddy," Hazama explained in a rather mocking tone. "So I told her about you and mommy, she got angry, and wants to kill the both of you so that she can claim Rags for herself."

"So you're the cause of this in the end!" Beast Kain growled as he got back up and turned his arms into a large head of the beast. "Then what the hell's wrong with Noel?"

"Oh, you are so dense and possibly stupid. Well not as much as the old mutt, thank god..." Hazama said. "Mommy loves daddy, Nu almost killed both of them, now Nu's trying to take daddy from mommy. Do the math."

"...So this is just a cat fight!?" Beast Kain yelled, still confused.

"That's one way to put it," Hazama said. "But still, I thought I never see the day little Miss Noel would go out of her way to kill someone."

"What...?" Beast Kain asked.

The group turned to see the fight. Nu stabbed at Mu's gut with her sword-wings and pummeled her to the ground. Mu, however, powered through and grabbed Nu's visor, ripping it off of her face to Nu's murderous red eyes. Nu grabbed Mu's neck, trying to strangle her once more, but Mu stabbed Nu in the gut, trying to get her off. The two gave each other murderous glares, eyes filled with nothing but anger and pure animosity.

"Just die already!" Nu screeched as she tightened her grip.

"You first!" Mu yelled back as she tried to push Nu off of her.

"Why is Ragna with someone like you!?" Nu yelled. "Ragna is supposed to be with Nu!"

"Who are you to decide who Ragna should be with!?" Mu shot back. "Ragna should be with who he wants to be with!"

"RAGNA BELONGS TO NU AND NO ONE ELSE!"

"I'LL NEVER GIVE RAGNA TO YOU!"

* * *

Outside of the battle, Izayoi and Makoto were rather mesmerized, yet a little frightened by their friend's pure outrage.

"Is that...Noel...?" Makoto asked.

"I don't know..." Izayoi said.

'_Something's not right...' _Beast Kain thought. _'Even if this is anything about jealousy or it's just the influence of Kusanagi or whatever...this isn't like Noel at all...she should still have some control...'_

He glared at Hazama, who was watching the battle.

'_Is this something he set up?' _Beast Kain thought. _'No...This feeling...this is something else...not even Terumi could pull this off...it's like she's in some sort of trance...'_

Beast Kain noticed something up in the sky.

'_!? That's...!'_ Beast Kain thought.

Hazama noticed that Beast Kain was distracted by something, and used the opportunity to rip through his wings, freeing himself.

"Crap!" Beast Kain yelled.

"Too naïve, rookie!" Hazama yelled as he strongly kicked Beast Kain, who managed to block it with his arm.

"OROCHI BURENSŌ!"

As Beast Kain was about to retaliate, Hazama removed his hat, revealing spiked hair as he lifted Beast Kain in a binding barrier with his Ouroboros. He then rose up with a knee attack to her and forcibly slammed him to the ground with a turning midair kick followed by a heel drop kick on the target, then stomped on him several times.

"Is this all you got?" Terumi asked as he rubbed his foot against his head. "Eh!? Black Beast!?"

Terumi swept him off the ground and finished with a backward kick trailed by an energy snake.

"Gaugh!" Beast Kain yelled.

"!? Kain!" Makoto and Izayoi yelled.

"You bastard!" Hakumen yelled.

As Beast Kain fell back, the three attacked Hazama as he put his hat back on, but Hazama only grinned.

"**HUNGRY DARKNESS OF 1000 SOULS!"**

Hazama slammed the ground, where several Ouroboros chains shot out from the ground and surrounded Hazama in a cage like formation. The three of them were hit by them and sent into the sky, as several snakes rose up from the ground, coalescing into one giant snake.

"**In the name of Susanoo I command you..."** Hazama chanted. **"Awaken, Nox Nyctores...Ouroboros!"**

The snake made one fatal bite at the three, taking them out all at once. Only their screams could be heard, as they plummeted to the ground. From the ashes, Hazama had revealed his Terumi ego, undoing his tie.

"No!" Beast Kain yelled.

"Don't worry your pretty little head," Terumi said. "I held back a little. They're still alive...I think...now then..."

Terumi took out his knives and approached Beast Kain. Beast Kain tried to get up, but Terumi shot several knives from his coat, pinning Beast Kain to the ground by stabbing his arms and wings to the ground.

"Shit!" Beast Kain muttered as he tried to pull the knives out with force alone.

"Kain!" Mu cried, but Nu was still strangling Mu.

"Now then," Terumi said as he held his knife to Beast Kain's neck. "Let's see if you can survive having your head chopped off."

But as Terumi was going to do so, two beams of light shot at his back.

"Guough!?" Terumi gagged.

He turned to see Iris and Saya, who rammed into him.

"!? You two!?" Beast Kain yelled.

"What? You miss us?" Saya teased.

"We came to help!" Iris exclaimed.

"Well good timing, at least!" Beast Kain yelled.

Terumi landed across them, but quickly got back up, enraged.

"Oh, you two are so going to get it now..." Terumi growled. "You goddamn bitches!"

As Terumi was about to attack Iris and Saya, something stopped him.

"What the–!?" he yelled.

"Huh?" the two girls asked.

Swords that appeared to be made of energy shot out of nowhere, stopping Terumi in his tracks. The same swords shot out of nowhere at Nu, forcing her off Mu.

"What!?" Mu yelled.

Terumi examined the swords, and realized that he seen these swords before.

"These swords..." Terumi exclaimed. "No way..."

"Even I can't have you murdering these two just yet," a voice interrupted.

From out of nowhere, a man suddenly appeared in front of the three and attacked Terumi with the same swords.

"You!?" Terumi yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Envy!?"

"Envy!?" the two girls gasped.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** Well it was a while since I wrote something this long. It was rather hard writing Mu and Nu's dialogues, since I have no idea how they will react to each other in Chronophantasma, but I hope I did a good job and I hope this doesn't make Mu look OOC or whatever the term is. Iris and Saya managed to bond a little (after trying to kill one another), Ragna and Jin finally start to show some tension, and Nu's appearance may have been out of the blue, but this is relevant to the plot. But not as more out of the blue than Envy saving Kain, Iris and Saya in my opinion. Why did Envy do this? You're just gonna have to find out.

Once again, I apologize for the delay of this chapter. I plan to make the next chapter as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading, tell me what you think and hoped you enjoyed the chapter! See ya next time!


	25. Chapter 25: Azure Wrath

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 25: Azure Wrath**

* * *

**AN:** This took a while...sorry for the wait, the show must go on!

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_First I get kidnapped by some random lady._

_Then I almost get murdered by some batshit insane robot chick._

_And now Envy of all people is helping me!?_

_What has the world become...?_

* * *

In front of Beast Kain stood Envy, who saved Iris and Saya from Terumi's wrath.

"Envy!?" Beast Kain yelled. "What the hell're you doing here!?"

"Oh, I wanted to test something," Envy explained casually.

"Test what?" Beast Kain asked suspiciously.

"Oh, you'll find out..." Envy said.

"What're you...?" Beast Kain asked. "Wait...is 'that' your doing!?"

He pointed to the currently-hostile Mu, trying to kill Nu.

"A form of hypnosis, if you will," Envy said. "At my level, I don't need direct contact to manipulate one's mental stability. Hell, I can call this child's play."

"Why are you doing this!?" Beast Kain yelled.

"Like I said," Envy stated. "I wanted to test something."

"Well then stop it!" Saya growled.

"Oh, like I'm going to just stop all of my plans, just because you said so?" Envy scoffed. "Use your head, girl."

"Why you–!" Saya roared as she attacked him.

Envy just lifted a hand, making her stop. Envy then waved his hand to the ground, throwing Saya into the ground.

"Saya!" Beast Kain cried.

"Don't you even think about it..." Envy warned.

As Beast Kain was about to attack Envy, he placed his hand in the position of a gun on Saya's head.

"You know what I am capable of..." Envy said as he charged energy to the tip of his finger.

"...What the hell do you gain from doing this?" Beast Kain asked.

"That's none of your concern for now..." Envy said. "But at this rate, Noel will get killed."

"What!?" Beast Kain gasped.

"Even if I am giving her an emotional edge with the hypnosis," Envy said. "She's still no match for the Sword of Hades. Relius designed that killing machine to be an unstoppable grim reaper. Even I have no guarantee that I can stop it. I highly doubt that a 'older model' can stand up to the latest version. In fact, there's a good chance that the emotional edge is actually doing more harm than good."

"So what do we do then!?" Iris growled.

"That's easy," Envy said. "Defeat the Murakumo."

"How!?" Iris yelled. "We couldn't even hurt her!"

"That's what surprised me," Envy said. "Kain. Why haven't you used the Azure?"

Beast Kain suddenly became quiet. He didn't respond to Envy.

"The Azure?" Iris asked. "What're you talking about? He's using the Azure now."

"He's only using the armor of the Black Beast generated from the Azure," Envy said. "He never truly used the Azure."

Beast Kain remained silent.

"If you use it, then you could easily defeat No. 13," Envy said. "Hell, you could even fight me to a standoff."

"Is that true, Kain?" Iris asked.

Still, Beast Kain didn't say anything.

"Brother..." Saya said.

"...I won't use it..." Beast Kain finally said.

"Why?" Envy asked. "With that form, you could easily best the Murakumo."

Beast Kain only glared at Envy.

"Or is it," Envy asked. "That you're afraid to use it?"

Beast Kain suddenly grabbed Envy by the neck.

"...Is it because you fear that by doing so, you'll cause the synchronization to occur?" Envy asked. "Or is it because you don't want Iris to see you in that form?"

If he didn't have the helmet on, his conflicted and enraged expression could be visible to them.

"If you let your pride and fear get the best of you," Envy said. "Then you will get your mother killed. Are you really going to let that happen?"

"You bastard..." Beast Kain snarled.

"Well? What will it be?" Envy asked.

* * *

"What!?" Ragna growled.

Back at Requiem, Ragna and the remaining three girls were trying to figure out the situation.

"That must have been Phantom..." Alicia said. "Which means, Kain, Iris and Saya are now with Terumi..."

"What!?" Ragna gasped.

The mere thought of them being with Terumi made Ragna cringe with anger and fear. Who knows what he could do to them.

"Then what do we do then!?" Ragna asked.

"I don't know..." Alicia said. "If I don't have a lead, then I can't track them down."

"Come on! There has to be a way!" Ragna exclaimed.

"Uncle..." Hikari said.

"Isn't there anyway, Alicia!?" Mary begged her friend.

"...I'm sorry, but even I can't do anything about this..." Alicia said.

Ragna groaned angrily as he scratched his head.

"...Alicia!" a voice rang. "Hey! Can ya' hear me!? Alicia!"

Alicia suddenly sprung up, recognizing the voice.

"Kidou!?" Alicia exclaimed.

"What!? How!? Where!?" Ragna yelled.

"Goddamn it!" Kidou growled. "I can't keep this up all day, ya' know! I'm lucky the Collbrande was able to find ya'!"

"Kidou! Kain, Iris and Saya was kidnapped by Phantom!" Alicia quickly reported.

"What!?" Kidou gasped. "Ya' gotta be shittin' me! Phantom kidnapped some of our people too!"

"What!?" they exclaimed.

"Who!?" Ragna growled.

"Hakumen, Izayoi, Makoto and Noel," Kidou replied.

Ragna's heart practically sank when he heard Noel's name, then suddenly grabbed Alicia by the collar.

"Uncle!" Hikari yelled,

"You better have a way to save them!" Ragna growled.

Despite Ragna's intimidation, Alicia retained a cool composure, as she stared back at Ragna.

"Do you really think violence will solve anything now?" Alicia asked Ragna.

Ragna glared at Alicia, but let her go and sighed deeply.

"...Well need some time," Alicia said. "But for now, we should at least report this to everyone."

"And cause another fiasco?" Ragna asked.

"Right..." Alicia said. "For now then, I need Kidou's help to track Kain down."

"Oh, can ya' make the hole big enough for two people?" Kidou asked.

"? Two?" Alicia asked.

"Me, and Kagura Mutsuki," Kidou said.

"Kagura Mutsuki!?" Ragna gasped.

"The 'Black Knight'..." Alicia said. "So you met up with him?"

"He'll be helpin' us out," Kidou reported.

"Very well then," Alicia said. "Give me a minute."

Alicia created a portal, where after a few moments, Kidou and Kagura emerged from the hole.

"Get out the Collbrande and activate Avalon," Alicia quickly said.

Kidou nodded in agreement and unsheathed the two broad swords. He then stabbed them to the ground, creating a large magic circle. Alicia stepped into the circle and lifted her arms. From her shadow, several long claws shot out and clawed the light that the circle made.

"What're you doing?" Ragna asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Alicia asked. "I'm trying to search for Kain."

"How" Kagura asked.

"By reverse-engineering Kidou's transportation ability," Alicia simply answered.

From the light and darkness, several screens appeared. Alicia was searching through the countless screens in hope of finding their friend.

"Come on, Kain..." Alicia said. "Give me a sign..."

As Hikari and Mary looked worried, Ragna glared at Kagura, who noticed the glare.

"So you're Ragna the Bloodedge, huh?" Kagura asked.

"Yeah, so?" Ragna growled.

"Whoa, let's get along here," Kagura said nonchalantly. "We're all friends here, apparently."

"The hell're you talking about?" Ragna asked. "How're you my 'friend'? Aren't you the head of the Duodecim?"

"On the surface, yeah," Kagura snickered.

"Huh?" Ragna asked.

"You'll figure it out once this fiasco is solved," Kagura said.

As Ragna was about to ask another question, he stopped.

"...I know you're hiding there, Jin!" Ragna growled. "Now get out here!"

"Jin...?" Kagura asked.

The two men turned to the entrance to the castle, where Jin crept out from the shadows of the walls.

"Brother..." Jin muttered in a lustful tone.

* * *

"Time's a wasting," Envy said. "If you don't hurry up and make a decision, then Noel will die."

Beast Kain didn't respond, where Mu and Nu continued to try to kill each other. If he didn't make up his mind soon, then Mu's life will end up being extinguished by Nu. Beast Kain glanced at the battle. Indeed, Mu was struggling. At this rate, she would die at the hands of Nu, and neither his human form nor his current Beast form couldn't compete with her.

"Why are you hesitating?" Envy asked. "Are you that afraid of becoming the Black Beast with the presence of Saya? Or are you afraid that Iris will fear you after seeing what's 'under the mask'?"

Beast Kain leered at Envy.

"Is your pride really worth death?" Envy asked.

"Kain..." Iris said.

After a long moment of struggling on what he should do, he finally made a decision.

"...Iris..." Beast Kain suddenly said. "Whatever you do...don't regret seeing this..."

"Eh?" she asked.

Beast Kain lifted his left arm, where the armor became a black substance that flowed back into the arm, reverting Beast Kain back to his human form. He kept his left gauntlet up.

"Restriction 666 released..." Kain suddenly chanted. "Dimensional Interference Field Deployed!"

The pauldron on the gauntlet opened up as a bright crimson red aura emitted from it.

"Now engaging the Ragnarok System..." he went on as creases and openings started to form on the gauntlet.

"Pay close attention, Miss Iris," Envy said to her. "This is Kain's 'true' power."

"BlazBlue...activate!"

The gauntlet completely shattered, revealing his hidden limb made of seithr. The shattered pieces of the gauntlet gathered behind Kain to form a ball of energy, where eight black blades similar to the Murakumo blade-wings formed from it. Kain's left eye changed from the emerald-green to a deep blue, while his right eye became a blood-red.

* * *

"Oh hell no, not now," Ragna started to say as Jin came ever so closer to him.

"Father!" Hikari yelled.

"Yo, cool it!" Mary yelled.

Jin shot a deadly glare to the two girls, making them shut up, then fixed his gaze back at Ragna.

"But Brother..." Jin whined. "You said we would settle this as soon as those harpies finished with their battle."

"Now's not the time," Ragna shot back. "Kain and those 'harpies' just got kidnapped by Phantom."

"Like that matters now..." Jin responded. "We are going to settle this now."

"It'll matter to you once you hear that Tsubaki was kidnapped by Phantom too," Kagura intervened.

"What!?" Jin gasped, now in his normal cold tone. "Wait...Kagura Mutsuki!?"

"Oh, now you notice," Kagura muttered.

Jin suddenly unsheathed his Yukianesa and held it to Kagura's neck. Despite this however, Kagura did not flinch the slightest.

"Explain, now," Jin growled in a threatening tone.

"Well to put it simply," Alicia explained. "Several of our allies are now in the grasp of Terumi. Including Tsubaki Yayoi."

"What?" Jin growled angrily.

"Who knows what Terumi could have in store for them," Alicia said. "Well, in terms of power, they should rival Terumi's, but we do not know who or what he has with him."

"So the chances that Tsubaki along with everyone else being in a life-threatening situation," Kagura added. "Are rather high."

"So now do you get the stakes?" Ragna asked.

Jin grimaced as he put away his Nox, then glared at Alicia and Kidou.

"You better find them," Jin threatened. "Or else I will end both of you."

The two said nothing in response and focused on searching for Kain.

"Now then..." Jin said.

He suddenly unsheathed the Yukianesa once more and struck at Ragna. Ragna managed to shield himself with his Blood-Scythe.

"Oh you cannot be serious now!" Ragna muttered.

"It'll take a while for them to find everyone," Jin said in his earlier lustful tone. "So why don't you and I settle the score while we wait?"

"You've gotta be kidding me now!" Ragna said with disbelief.

"No Brother, we're going to settle this now," Jin responded.

"Father!" Hikari cried. "This is not the time for this!"

Jin glared at Hikari, but his expression quickly melted from her pleading face.

'_Tch...She looks too similar to Tsubaki...'_ Jin thought. _'But it matters not!'_

"Fine, we'll settle this," Ragna suddenly said.

"Wha-!?" Hikari gasped.

"Brother?" Jin asked, rather surprised.

"I'll fight you, Jin," Ragna said. "So that I can beat some sense into that goddamn immature skull of yours. This isn't the time for your goddamn obsession and you know it!"

"Really!?" Jin exclaimed ecstatically. "That's great, Brother!"

Ragna glared at Jin, while Jin had a maniacal grin on his expression as both brothers wielded their weapons.

"Aren't you going to stop them!?" Hikari yelled to Kagura.

"I would," Kagura said. "But this is something that they have to settle apparently...Plus I don't intend to interfere a battle between brothers, whatever the reason may be..."

"Hahahaha! Let's do this, Brother!" Jin yelled.

"Jin...I'll knock some sense into you!" Ragna yelled.

With that, the two brothers charged at each other.

* * *

Kain took a deep breath as he gripped his claw. Everyone, save Saya and Envy, and Mu and Nu who were concentrating on killing each other, was mesmerized by the sight of Kain in his Azure form.

"It's been a while since I used this..." Kain said, rather sadly.

"Kain..." Iris said. "That's...the Azure..."

Kain looked back to Iris, with a rather sad look on his face.

"...Iris..." Kain said, but looked away.

"Kain?" she asked.

"Oh, poor boy," Envy said. "He must be ashamed of himself to use that form."

Iris glared at Envy.

"What do you mean?" she asked sternly.

"Looks like someone doesn't know Kain's scarring childhood," Envy said. "He never told you about his childhood, did he?"

"Yes he has!" Iris shot back.

"Really?" Envy asked. "Then tell me, did he ever tell you that he committed genocide?"

"W-What?" Iris asked, nervously and rather shocked.

"Yes, on several occasions, actually...like the time when he almost destroyed the NOL singlehandedly by attacking the Imperator of his time?" Envy asked. "Oh, what about the time he brutally murdered his classmates who made fun of him and his sister after a certain 'incident'?"

Saya suddenly shivered in response to said 'incident'.

"Oh, you should know this one, right?" Envy asked. "You know, when you–."

Before Envy could finish his statement, Kain pointed his rifle at Envy's head before he could notice.

"If you want to keep your head," Kain threatened, this time in a rather feral and menacing tone. "Then shut the hell up."

Envy didn't seem to flinch, but stopped talking.

"I still want a head on my body, so I guess this is enough story-telling," Envy said. "Let me handle Terumi, and you go save your future mother."

Kain snarled at Envy, but shifted his attention to Nu.

"Saya, whatever you do, **DO NOT** activate your Azure," Kain ordered. "Do you understand?"

"I know..." Saya said. "Just be careful..."

"Kain..." Iris said.

"...I guess I owe you an explanation..." Kain said to her. "...I'll...tell you everything once we escape here, so–."

He was interrupted by a sudden hug from Iris.

"Iris?" Kain asked shocked.

"Just...go save Noel...and don't die..." Iris pleaded.

Kain looked surprised, but smiled.

"Who do you think I am?" Kain asked jokingly.

Iris let go of Kain, where he jetted towards the Murakumo fight at blinding speed with his own blade-wings. Meanwhile, Izayoi, Makoto and Hakumen managed to recover from Terumi's attack.

"Th-that's Kain...?" Izayoi asked.

"Whoa...he looks awesome!" Makoto cheered.

"Hmph...So he's accepting himself as the Black Beast..." Hakumen grunted.

Terumi glared at Kain as he rocketed towards the two Murakumo girls.

"So that mutt's been hiding that much power..." Terumi growled. "Oh well. That isn't my concern for the time being."

He faced the three who stood back up.

"Man, don't you guys ever give up!?" Terumi yelled. "How do you plan to win against me, when none of your attacks even worked!? Use your heads! Oh wait...there's nothing in there, is there?"

As Terumi was about to make a move, psychic swords rained down from the sky, creating a tempest of swords that Terumi barely managed to dodge.

"Well then," Envy said as he teleported into the fight. "How about me then?"

"Tch! You!" Terumi hissed.

"Envy...!" Izayoi growled.

"? Well if it isn't Major Yayoi!" Envy exclaimed. "Oh wait, you betrayed the NOL, so I guess its Tsubaki Yayoi now...or is it Izayoi in that form...?"

Izayoi only glared at Envy, giving him no other response.

"Okay, I guess it's not my business anyway..." Envy said nonchalantly. "Besides, I have bigger fish to fry than you."

Envy faced Terumi, who was becoming more and more agitated by Envy's sudden interruption.

"Don't you ever learn to not butt into other people's business?" Terumi growled. "My God, don't they teach you something called 'manners' in the future?"

"Like you're one to talk," Envy shot back. "Besides, I can't really have you run amok like the insane hipster that you are."

Terumi twitched a little as Envy readied two swords.

"Why are you helping us?" Izayoi hissed.

"Think of this as special service," Envy said. "I'll protect you three form this, oh how would Kain put it, 'batshit insane asswipe'."

"Why!?" Izayoi demanded.

"...I have my own agendas, I'll just say that," Envy said.

"And you think you can take on Terumi by yourself?" Hakumen scoffed.

"Well, I already did, and he had his old pal Relius with him," Envy said. "Mopped the floor with them. Isn't that right? Terumi?"

Envy put emphasis on the question, purposely making Terumi even more agitated.

"Oh, you're so dead, you little shit!" Terumi roared as he charged at Envy.

As Terumi tried to hack him down, Envy just got out-of-the-way, grabbed Terumi by the collar and threw him across the stage. As Terumi crashed into the ground, Envy shot psychic bullets at Terumi, shooting him as he was down. Terumi managed to roll out-of-the-way, but only to get greeted by Envy teleporting in front of him and smashing his heel on his head.

"What was that?" Envy asked.

"You little..." Terumi growled, until Envy shoved his head into the ground.

"I can't really have you run amok like the insane little snake you are," Envy said. "Besides...enjoy the show why don't you..."

"Show!?" Terumi hissed.

"Why take a look, why don't you," Envy suggested.

Terumi arched his head to the direction of the Murakumo fight, where Envy created a block of psychic energy on top of Terumi and sat on it, crushing the man.

"Now witness," Envy said. "Why I'll win this war..."

* * *

Mu couldn't handle Nu's punishment any longer. She was gasping for air as she tried to pry Nu off of her.

"Let...me...go...!" Mu growled.

"Not until you die, you thieving bitch!" Nu hissed as she tightened her grip.

"How about you die?" a voice interrupted.

From out of nowhere, Kain smashed his left fist at Nu, forcing her to let her grip go and sending her flying, giving Mu a chance to recover.

"Kain...?" Mu coughed, amazed at the sight of his new form.

"Sorry for the wait, Noel," Kain said. "I'll take it from here. You rest up."

"But...!" Mu argued.

"Don't worry, I got this..." Kain said. "Trust me..."

"Kain..." Mu said.

Kain shifted his attention to Nu, who got back up.

"You...again...!?" Nu hissed.

"Yo, ya' little psychotic bitch!" Kain yelled. "Raring for a rematch!?"

Nu suddenly bulleted towards Kain and shot several swords at him. Kain, in response, sent his eight sword-wings to intercept them, as they shot down the swords with their own lasers. Kain dashed towards Nu as the wings returned to him as he charged energy to the blade.

"DESTRUDO..."

Kain was about to dash towards Nu, but he vanished.

"Where did he–!?" Nu growled.

Kain reappeared in front of Nu and slammed the blade against Nu.

"BLADE!"

Kain then flung his blade up, sending Nu to the sky in an intense blast of dark energy. As Nu flew, Kain used his wings and pursued after her to the sky. Nu regained her balance and saw Kain coming.

"Just die already!" Nu screamed as a large portal appeared, and a large sword struck down on Kain.

Four of Kain's sword-wings got in front of Kain and formed a shield, blocking the attack. The remaining four wings flew up to the sword, became four laser swords and pierced through the giant sword, breaking it, where Kain shot Nu down with his gun. As Nu fell, Kain flew above her, then struck down and smashed his foot in Nu's gut, pummeling her to the ground. Kain got off her and floated away from Nu. Nu suddenly created a portal that unleashed a tempest of swords at Kain. Kain moved his eight wings to make a larger barrier, shielding himself from the onslaught. Nu used the opportunity and made a mad dash towards Kain, but Kain simply thrusted his rifle at Nu's gut, then shot her with one powerful blast. As Nu flew back, the tempest ceased, giving Kain the chance to make a mad dash towards Nu.

"Die!" Kain yelled as he manage to get close up to Nu and bound her in a dark light.

He stepped back, as the eight wings surrounded Nu, who was struggling to break free.

"WISDOM OF THE DIVINES!"

Kain gripped his left hand, where the eight blades became large energy blades and ripped through Nu. As she fell, Kain was about to make his next move, but he suddenly stopped, and flinched.

"Gaugh!? Not...now..." Kain grunted in pain.

He managed to shake out of it and continued his assault on Nu. Outside of the battle, everyone, save Envy and Saya, and Hakumen and Terumi (who was at this point being used as a seat for Envy), were outright amazed at Kain's newfound power.

"Holy shit...!" Makoto only said.

"He's amazing...!" Izayoi exclaimed.

"So that is his power of the Azure..." Hakumen said. "Hmph...this shows no difference from the Black Beast..."

"What're you talking about!?" Makoto yelled. "Kain's kicking her ass! He couldn't do anything in his Beast armor!"

"True...Kain is besting the Sword..." Hakumen said. "But...he is the same as he was as the Black Beast."

"What?" Izayoi asked.

"So you noticed, eh?" Envy suddenly voiced in, gaining their attention. "True, he shows a sudden surge of power, incomparable to his Beast armor. But...in the end, his mental stability is the same as it is under the influence of the Black Beast. Nay, it is even worse..."

"Mental stability?" Mu asked.

"As Kain continues to utilize the Azure to its fullest," Envy said. "His sanity keeps suffering the consequences. It keeps corroding as he keeps using the Azure. In short...at this rate, he will snap."

"Snap?" Mu asked.

"Yes, snap," Envy said. "Crack. Break. Go insane. Call it how you want. But the results will be the same. Kain will lose his sanity, and become the beast that everyone believes he is."

"What!?" they gasped.

"Kain..." Iris said, obviously worried about his welfare.

* * *

Ragna slammed his Blood-Scythe against Jin's Yukianesa, as the two pushed each other away.

"Hell's..."

"Musou..."

Ragna rammed Jin's icicle with his fist, as the two blows collided.

"Fang!"

"Senshouzan!"

Ragna raised his other fist in an uppercut, while Jin slammed his blade against said uppercut. The two warriors had to fall back once more from the collision.

"As expected, Brother..." Jin said.

"Goddamn it...as annoying as ever, I guess..." Ragna muttered as he made his next move.

"Gauntlet Hades!"

Ragna hopped into the air and delivered a fierce, spinning down hand swing of darkness at Jin, who only brandished his sword at the last second.

"Gale!"

Jin countered Ragna's attack with a wide quickdraw slash that punished Ragna to the air. Jin jumped into the air and grabbed him.

"Gotcha," Jin said playfully as he froze Ragna from behind.

As Ragna fell, Jin turned around and slashed Ragna down with an aerial battoujutsu slash, sending him to plummet. Ragna rolled out-of-the-way, only to have Jin smash his blade on his head. Ragna managed to shield himself from the attack with his blade, and pushed Jin off of him.

"Dead Spike!"

Ragna unleashed a large wave of energy shaped like a monster's head that lunged itself towards Jin. Jin only wiped the wave out with his own blade strike, but to be greeted by Ragna's fist in his face. Ragna smashed Jin into a wall. As Ragna was about to stab him in the gut, Jin retaliated by slicing his gut, making the silver-haired warrior flinch. Jin rolled out-of-the-way and froze Ragna from behind.

"Why you–!" Ragna yelled.

Ragna tried to break free from the ice, but he was too slow. Jin had already stabbed Ragna in the gut.

"What's the matter, Brother?" Jin asked rather ecstatically. "Aren't you going to 'beat some sense into me'? Well!?"

"You needy brat!" Ragna growled as he muscled his way out of the ice and pushed Jin, along with the impaled Yukianesa, back. As Jin fell, Ragna managed to run to him and smash his face into the ground. Ragna then picked up Jin and smashed his fist into Jin's gut. As Jin gagged and flinched, Ragna brandished his sword and glared at Jin.

"CARNAGE..."

Ragna dashed at Jin and slammed his sword at Jin.

"SCISSORS!"

Ragna then released two spikes or dark energy, sending Jin flying.

"Guagh!" Jin cried as he crashed to the ground.

"How's that...!?" Ragna growled.

But as Jin fell, he quickly got back on his feet and brandished his katana.

"ARCTIC DAGGER!"

Jin unleashed a cold shockwave that slashed Ragna, leaving an icy trail along the ruined rose garden.

"Gaugh...!?" Ragna gagged.

"Aww...is that it, Brother?" Jin cooed. "C'mon...you can do better than that, Brother...let's have some more fun!"

"Goddamn it...you're pissing me off!" Ragna yelled.

Ragna got back up and continued his bloodbath with Jin, where the others were only watching the battle.

"Can't we stop them!?" Hikari yelled at Kagura.

Kagura said nothing, but only spectated the battle.

"Mr. Kagura!" Hikari yelled.

"...Do you think you can even intervene in a fight of this caliber?" Kagura asked.

Hikari recoiled a little, although he was right. She wasn't strong enough to stop this fight.

"Hahahahaha! C'mon! More! Show me more!" Jin screamed.

"Goddamn it, Jin! Just shut the hell up!" Ragna yelled.

As they were about to clash once more, lightning suddnely struck out of nowhere, stopping the battle.

"What!?" Jin gasped.

"Tch! Rachel!" Ragna yelled. "The hell was that for!?"

From outside the castel doors, Rachel, with her companions and Valkenhayn, walked into the rose garden.

"Stopping this impudent fight," Rachel shot back. "Honestly Ragna, can't I leave you alone for even a sliver of time without you causing trouble?"

"Wha-!? ME!?" Ragna yelled. "Jin's the one who caused this shit to happen!"

"And you are the one who foolishly accepted that simpleton's wager," Rachel shot back. "So this is also your fault."

While Ragna grimaced, Jin glared at Rachel.

"Woman...what gives you any right to stop our fight?" Jin hissed.

"This is my mansion, after all," Rachel shot back. "So I have a right to stop foolish guests from destroying my property."

"Thank god..." Ragna sighed. "For once, thanks..."

Rachel looked a bit surprised at Ragna's gratitude, shocking everyone.

"Did you just...thank me?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, anything to get Jin from trying to kill me," Ragna said. "God is he annoying as hell to deal with..."

"Well...isn't this a fair surprise..." Rachel said, rather content.

"Oh, thank goodness..." Hikari sighed.

While Rachel seemed content with Ragna's rare display of gratitude, Jin brandished his katana.

"I'm not done yet!" Jin roared. **"ARCTIC DUNGEON!"**

Jin stabbed the Yukianesa in the ground, making the ground freeze.

"!? You fool!" Rachel yelled.

"Goddamn it, Jin!" Ragna yelled, as his eyes suddenly glowed. "JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Ragna, out of pure whim, brandished his sword, and stabbed it into the ground, where an inferno of dark energy burst out of the ground, dissipating the frost of the ground, and even overwhelming Jin in a sea of dark flames.

"GAAAAH!" Jin screamed.

"What the-!?" Mary yelled.

"That's...!" Hikari exclaimed.

"What is this!?" Rachel yelled.

Alicia and Kidou looked to see the commotion, and saw Ragna performing said attack.

"!? Grave Buster...!?" Alicia gasped. "But how...!? He wasn't supposed to...!"

After the inferno ceased, Jin fell to the ground. Ragna, eyes widened and amazed at the sight of the attack, pulled the sword out of the ground and examined the sword.

"...What the hell was that...?" Ragna asked.

"Ragna..." Rachel said, rather flabbergasted.

"...We need ta' hurry..." Kidou said rather seriously.

* * *

Kain continued his onslaught against Nu, smashing through her projectiles and slashing her to the ground. Kain then aimed his rifle at Nu and unleashed a chain of bullets at her, pummeling her with the force of the shots. Nu managed to roll out-of-the-way and stab Kain in the gut with one of her swords, but Kain didn't even flinch and kicked Nu in the gut hard enough to make her puke blood. AS Nu fell to the ground, Kain flew into the air and aimed his rifle at Nu.

"BLOODY RAIN!"

Kain shot an immense tempest of red bullets at Nu, then charged dark energy to his foot.

"HELLBOUND!"

Kain unleashed a huge fireball shaped like the Black Beast's head at Nu, engulfing her in a huge pillar of dark flames. As Kain landed, he aimed his eight wings at Nu.

"BLESSED MIRROR!"

The eight wings showered lasers upon Nu, forcing her to shield herself as much as she can. Using the opening, Kain rushed up to Nu.

"WISDOM OF THE DIVINES!"

Kain bound Nu in dark light and lifted his left claw, where the eight swords became large energy blades and surrounded her.

"Now...eat this!" Kain yelled as he clenched his left claw into a fist.

Once he formed his fist, the eight blades stabbed through Nu, ripping her apart. As she fell like a rag doll, the eight wings returned to Kain's side. As Nu struggled to get back up, Kain looked down on her.

"...You done?" Kain growled, his eyes becoming more and more feral.

* * *

"Oh...bravo..." Envy said, clapping his hands. "Even when he's using the Azure this much, he still somehow manages to maintain control over himself."

"Get...the hell off me!" Terumi screamed as he pushed Envy off of him.

"Oh my," Envy said as he jumped off at the last second.

Everyone brandished their weapons as Terumi got back up. With an irritated growl, he glared at Envy, who was only dusting himself off.

"You piece of shit..." Terumi growled. "What the hell do you gain from this, anyway?"

"? Whatever do you mean?" Envy asked with mock innocence.

"You know damn well what I mean!" Terumi hissed. "...Why would you let your enemy, especially someone as much of a threat as Kain, reach full power? Are you trying to dig your own grave?"

"Oh? Is someone scared?" Envy asked rather tauntingly.

"Bullshit!" Terumi shot back. "I'm just saying. Why purposely make your enemy stronger?"

Envy only wagged his finger to him.

"Just watch..." Envy said. "By the way, should you really let your precious 'sword' get destroyed?"

As he just said that, Nu flew across the stage, passing by Terumi. He turned to see Kain, walking in with sword at hand and sword-wings floating behind him. Even Terumi couldn't help but shiver a little at the sight of Kain.

"Quite a show you pulled off there, Kain, old boy?" Envy said. "Truly remarkable. As expected of the boy of the Azure..."

Kain only glared at Envy.

"I suggest you fall back," Envy whispered to Terumi.

"Ahh!? Like hell I'll listen to you!" Terumi yelled as he charged at Kain.

As Terumi disappeared in front of Kain, he clenched his claw, which grew in size a bit.

"SERPENT'S INFERNAL–!" Terumi yelled.

But as Terumi reappeared and tried to kick Kain, Kain dodged it and grabbed Terumi.

"Shut up...you goddamn eyesore!" Kain screamed. "DARKNESS EATER!"

From Kain's left arm, teeth emerged, which quickly became a large head of the Black Beast and gnawed on Terumi.

"What the-!?" they gasped.

"Oh..." Envy said, rather amused.

As Kain screamed like an animal, his left arm grew longer as he violently swung Terumi around and slammed him to the ground several times, until eventually he slammed Terumi to the ground so hard that the grip was lost, sending Terumi in a large wave of dark energy. Everyone, save Hakumen and Envy, trembled in fear at the sight of Kain, along with his left arm, which was now practically a living head of the Black Beast.

"The...Black Beast...?" Mu asked.

"Well of course," Envy said. "He is the body of the Black Beast of course. Generating a head, given his true potential, is a cakewalk."

"His true potential?" Mu asked.

"Did you really believe that the armor was the extent of his potential?" Envy asked. "Even in this form, he's still not at his fullest."

"What!?" Izayoi asked. "He can still become stronger!?"

"Of course," Envy said. "If you want to deal with him going full-blown insane, that is..."

Iris looked at Kain. While the others didn't notice, Iris noticed that Kain was snarling uncontrollably while staring down at Terumi. Terumi, however, put his hat back on which he took out from his coat, and reverted back to his Hazama persona.

"Now, now, I do believe that today's enough..." Hazama said rather weakly. "Since tomorrow's the big day, anyway, we should rest up. Hey, No. 13! We're leaving!"

Hearing that, Nu suddnely shot back up from here she crashed.

"...Understood..." Nu said blankly and monotonously.

"Now then...I'll bid you all goodbye for now..." Hazama said. "You should all have an action plan by tomorrow..."

"What? Why?" Izayoi asked.

"Just saying..." Hazama said. "Well then, ciao."

Hazama, then Nu, teleported out of the area, leaving the rest there. Kain took a deep sigh, where he reverted his arm back to normal (or at least back to its claw form).

"Kain!" Iris called out.

"Brother!" Saya called out.

The two rushed over to Kain, who relaxed a little, but not releasing his Azure form for some reason.

"Are you alright?" Iris asked rather concerned.

"Yeah...I'm fine..." Kain said weakly, sweating.

"Brother?" Saya asked.

"Man...This form can bring out a lot of stress..." Kain said, looking at his claw. "Any longer, and I would've lost it..."

Kain turned to the others, but quickly wince and looked the other way.

"Kain...?" Iris asked.

"Bravo, bravo," Envy said, clapping his hands.

Kain glared at Envy, who only walked closer to the three.

"That was a fantastic show, yes, truly," Envy said. "A marvel, indeed. With the power of the Azure, not even the Sword of Hades could stand in front of your wrath!"

Kain held his sword up in defense.

"What're you planning...?" Kain asked.

"Ah, so you still have some sanity left to figure that out..." Envy said rather tauntingly.

Kain held his head in pain, without loosening his grip on his sword.

"Shut up!" Kain yelled.

"...Well then..." Envy said rather deviously.

With a snap of a finger, he teleported everyone, including himself out of the sealed space.

* * *

A dark forest, outside of a hierarchical city. Everyone was teleported there, confused, expect for Envy.

"What're you planning now, Envy?" Kain asked.

"Why can't you just enjoy the view?" Envy asked. "Look at this pristine scenery. A lush forest, blanketed by the radiant light of the moon."

As Envy basked in the moonlight, Kain noticed that he was shuddering a little.

_Huh? Why's he...?_

"Now then," Envy said, stopping his basking in the light. "Kain! You've been through a lot ever since we came to the past."

"...So you were responsible for me being in this time period?" Kain asked.

"Of course," Envy admitted. "Although it did end out rather roughly...all seemed to end with acceptable results."

"Your definition of 'acceptable'? Or my definition of 'acceptable'?"

"I don't know," Envy said nonchalantly. "Now then...tomorrow, February 3rd. Do you remember what day in history it was? Vermillion siblings?"

"February 3rd?" Kain asked. "The year's 2200 AD...the day when the Imperator was overthrown!"

"What!?" they gasped.

"So you do know some history..." Envy said. "Now then...since time's a wasting..."

Envy suddenly warped in front of Saya and placed a hand in front of her chest, releasing energy that suddenly made her spark out.

"KYAAAAA!" she screamed.

"Saya! Guagh!?" Kain gagged as he fell, sparking form his left arm.

"Kain!?" Iris and Mu cried.

"Don't...tell me..." Kain gagged.

When Envy was done, he warped to the top of a tree, where Saya fell. Before she could hit the ground, she suddenly stood back up. A strong blue aura emitted from her, as she looked up to the group. She had a rather blank expression towards the others, but when she faced Kain, she suddenly had a rather insane grin on her face, while giggling uncontrollably.

"You...BASTARD!" Kain screamed to Envy. "YOU FORCED HER TO USE THE AZURE?!"

"Now then," Envy said. "I'll just enjoy the show here."

As Kain was about to attack Envy, Saya suddenly bulleted towards Kain and smashed a blade at him, forcing him to guard.

"Saya!?" Mu gasped.

"What're you doing!?" Iris cried.

"Of course, what they were 'meant to do'..." Envy said. "The heart and the body must merge to finally complete the true form."

"Complete the...Black Beast!?" Hakumen yelled.

"Now then, what will you do, Kain?" Envy asked. "Once the process has started, it can't be stopped unless one of the factors are extinguished. In other words..."

"One of us...has to die..." Kain said with great anguish.

"Great! You do know the circumstances!" Envy exclaimed. "If you want to stop me...you're going to have to **kill** your own sister! Will you kill her and stop me? Or will you die and kill everyone? I'm excited to see what you will do!"

"YOU BASTAAARRRRD!" Kain screamed.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** As how Kaneshiro-sama stated, shit went down real quick and now the stakes are higher. Kain showed everyone the power of his Azure and wiped the floor with Nu and Terumi (although he could've just been going insane at some point), only to now be forced to decide whether to kill his **own** sister or not, not to mention that Saya now has her Azure active, making her all the more deadlier. Isn't Envy such a bastard? While that drama's happening, Ragna and Jin finally have their fight, only to find out that Ragna can use a new move, apparently one that he's supposed to learn in the future. Hey, it's a 20 year transition between Ragna's time period and Kain's original time period, so they could've learned a new trick or two.

As always, thanks for reading, hoped you enjoyed the chapter and see ya next time!


	26. Chapter 26: Falling Down

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 26: Falling Down**

* * *

**AN:** I'm alive! I am really sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long! I was working on this chapter, while working on my other Pokémon fanfic, dealing with personal things, and among other things...so once I finished the chapter, it's already September (DAMN!) And the chapter was over 13,000 WORDS (excluding the author's note...GOD DAMN!). So to make it easier for you readers, and to also make up for my one-month-hiatus, I decided to split this chapter up into 2 chapters and update them simultaneously! Hope you enjoy this double-update!

On another note, do any of you hate Envy?

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_Goddamn it!_

_Envy, you piece of shit!_

_Now Saya's going berserk–_

_Scratch that, she's trying to merge with me!_

_...One of us have to die to stop the Black Beast from resurrecting..._

_...GODDAMN IT!_

* * *

Kain managed to push Saya off and gain some distance. Saya landed on her feet and gave him an insane smile and giggle.

"Goddamn it..." Kain growled. "One of us has to die..."

"Isn't there a way to save her!?" Iris asked. "There has to be a way!"

"Unfortunately, no," Envy said from above.

They all glared at Envy, who was casually sitting on the tree, speculating the battle.

"Well, you could knock her out and somehow force her to seal the Azure," Envy proposed. "But if even Kain can't shut off his Azure, then what makes you think Saya could? Especially if she's accepting the role as the heart?"

"Then we'll just knock her out!" Iris yelled.

But as Iris was about to intervene, Envy snapped his fingers, where several psychic swords rained down and made a huge circle around Kain and Saya. The swords then created a huge barrier, trapping the two siblings in, and trapping the others out.

"What the-!?" Iris yelled.

She smashed her shield on the barrier, but it only bounced the shield back. As she bounced back, Iris got back on her feet and shot a Luster Blazer at it, but the barrier only absorbed it.

"Damn it!" Iris muttered.

"Oh? Did you just _swear_?" Envy asked. "Who knew Kain's fair, fair princess had such a foul mouth."

"Shut up!" Iris growled.

"Oh, temper, child," Envy said. "Well, since there's no way you can break through the barrier by force, how about I give you all a wager."

"A wager?" Mu asked.

Envy nodded, as he descended from the tree and landed on his feet.

"If you can beat me within 5 minutes," Envy said. "Then I shall open the barrier and allow you all to intervene with the sibling fighting."

Envy created two psychic swords and brandished them, pointing one of them towards Iris.

"That's a big _if,_ however," Envy said, his mask glinted a little.

Iris glared at Envy, as she charged at him.

"Aegis Striker!"

But as Iris smashed her shield at Envy, he distorted and explode, engulfing Iris in a sea of flames.

"Kya!" Iris yelped as she flew back.

"Iris!" they cried.

As the three girls went to help out Iris, Envy reappeared behind Hakumen, who quickly unsheathed his sword and slashed at Envy. Envy intercepted the blade with his own blades as the two tried to muscle through each other's guards.

"As expected of a Six Hero, huh..." Envy said.

"You scum..." Hakumen growled.

Envy jumped out-of-the-way, leaving Hakumen to slam his blade to the ground. Hakumen dashed towards Envy and jabbed at him, only for Envy to twirl besides the sword and slash Hakumen with his sword in the process. As Hakumen backed off, Envy charged psychic energy to his fingers and aimed it at Hakumen.

"Psycho Stream."

From his hand, six needles of energy shot out and struck Hakumen as he charged at him. Hakumen shrugged the projectiles off and lunged at Envy, where he stabbed at his gut. As Envy winced and stepped back, Hakumen grabbed Envy's neck and slammed him to the ground.

"EMPTY SKY FORM...SUMMER'S ADVANCE!"

As Hakumen charged energy to his sword and smashed his sword at Envy, he rolled out-of-the-way and tripped Hakumen. As Hakumen fell, Envy kicked Hakumen's head up, forcing him back into the air.

"GYRO MUTILATION!"

Envy made a huge trance, binding Hakumen in a gyroscope like trance. Envy then charged energy to his hands and start to shoot the energy from his hands like a gun at Hakumen all over his body. The force from each blast was strong enough to rip a part of his body off, but the bind was holding him in place.

"C'mon, show some backbone!" Envy yelled as he charged one last shot and unleashed it at Hakumen's head. The force from the last shot caused the trance to break, sending Hakumen away.

"What's the matter, Hakumen?" Envy asked. "This is the **second** time you feel for this. You're losing your edge, _Hero_."

But as Envy approached Hakumen, a stray laser shot from behind him, taking the jester by surprise.

"Well well," Envy said. "A sucker punch? This doesn't suit your personality, Miss Noel."

Envy turned to see that the laser did in fact came from Noel, or Mu to be exact, while Izayoi and Makoto were ready to take down Envy. Iris managed to recover from Envy's attack and was holding her arm up to keep her balance.

"Shut up, you freak!" Makoto growled.

"You deserve no sympathy whatsoever!" Izayoi yelled.

"Oh really?" Envy asked sarcastically.

But as the two girls glared at Envy, Mu suddenly charged at Envy without warning and smashed her blades at Envy, who only blocked it with his blades.

"A little trigger happy, aren't we, Miss Noel?" Envy asked.

"You..." Mu said with a murderous glare. "Deserve to die!"

As Mu continued to try to break through Envy's defenses, Hakumen charged from behind and slashed at Envy, but he managed to put Hakumen under his trance, stopping him in his tracks.

"Now this is a little out of my comfort zone..." Envy struggled to say.

Envy kicked Mu in the gut and pushed her away from him. As Mu fell back, Envy threw Hakumen into her, as the two crashed into the group. Envy readied several psychic swords as they recovered and launched them at them. Iris, seeing the attack, quickly got out of the crowd and shielded them with her Aegis.

"Well, well," Envy said as Iris brandished her shield.

Iris then charged at Envy with her shield, where Envy quickly dodged it and kicked her from behind. As she flew back, Iris managed to land on her feet and flung her shield at Envy. Envy only slashed the shield back with his blade, where Mu and Izayoi jetted from behind and jabbed at him. Envy stood his ground, grabbed the two by the arm and smashed them together. As they dropped to the ground, Makoto rammed into Envy and jabbed at Envy, only to have Envy dodge her punches and kick her in the gut.

"Too easy..." Envy said with a sigh.

But as Envy was about to push Makoto back, Makoto quickly pushed back his attack, stunning him.

"Gotcha!" she yelled as she made a straight jab, smashing him into a tree.

As Envy got back up, Izayoi stabbed at Envy, pinning him to the tree.

"No escape now!" Izayoi yelled.

"On the contrary," Envy replied calmly. "Now you're wide open."

Envy smashed his foot at Izayoi's gut while taking her sword. As she stepped back in pain, Envy dis lodged the sword out of his gut and wielded it, only to use it to guard himself from Hakumen's assault. Envy stepped back and lunged towards Hakumen, but Hakumen created a barrier in front of him, eager to take his attack. Envy, however, flung Izayoi's sword at Hakumen, causing him to flinch shortly, but long enough for Envy to jump into the air and spawn several psychic swords. Envy jumped over Hakumen and crossed his arms, where the psychic swords rained down on Hakumen.

"3 minutes left," Envy announced as Mu slashed at him.

Envy only shielded himself with his arm, but it cost him a severe wound, forcing him to fall back.

"Well that didn't go as well as I hoped..." Envy muttered, trying to shake off the pain of the wound.

Mu summoned four projectiles that aimed for Envy, shooting several lasers that Envy managed to dodge.

"Sluggish aim, if I do say so myself..." Envy taunted as he summoned more psychic swords and shot them at Mu's projectiles.

The swords pierced through the projectiles, but Mu simply made more, replacing the destroyed projectiles with brand new projectiles that resumed to shoot Envy.

"Destroying the bits is pointless, Envy," Mu hissed.

"On the contrary," Envy whistled. "You're wasting more time replacing the bits. Oh, now it's 2 minutes..."

Mu's eyes widened as she glanced over to her future son's battle, which wasn't going as well as she hoped.

* * *

"Gaha!" Kain gagged.

He flew into the wall, and crashed to the ground, struggling to get back up.

"Tch...This isn't going well..." Kain muttered as he got back up.

In front of him was his own blood sister, who was now trying to 'claim' him. With soulless eyes, an expression filled with pure insanity, and an unnerving smile to compliment it, she summoned blue orbs that surrounded him. Eyes widened in danger, Kain quickly rolled out-of-the-way as the orbs rained down lasers, only to fall into Saya's trap as she summoned several swords to stab out of the ground, slashing his face.

"Gaugh! Goddamn it!" Kain muttered.

"What's the matter, Brother...?" Saya asked in a more lustful and malevolent tone. "You aren't holding back on me, are you?"

"Says you!" Kain growled, but as he was about to make his move, his body stopped. "Gaugh! C'mon! Fight it!"

Kain managed to brandish his sword and aimed it at Saya, where he charged up a shot along with his eight wings and unleashed nine lasers at her. Saya only shielded herself with a barrier, blocking the lasers with ease, but left herself wide open for Kain to rip through her barrier and to pin her to a tree with his sword.

"Get a hold of yourself, Saya!" Kain yelled.

Saya only giggled in clear glee as she stabbed him in the gut with her free hand. As Kain gagged in pain, Saya pushed him off of her and instead flung herself to him, pinning him to a tree.

"C'mon, Brother," Saya said. "You gotta do better than that."

"Don't get full of yourself..." Kain growled. "You brat!"

Kain managed to kick her off. As she flew up, Kain grabbed her head and smashed her into the ground. As he was about to shoot her while she was down, Kain took one quick glance at her, then hesitated. Saya used this opening to strike him down with her sword wings. As Kain flinched in pain, Saya grabbed him and threw him into the air, where she summoned several blue orbs to surround him. As Saya clenched her hand, the orbs aimed for Kain and shot at him. Kain managed to create a barrier with his wings just in time to shield himself from the storm, but the barrier couldn't handle the siege, breaking midway and leaving him open to the slaughter.

"Gaaugh!" Kain screamed as he plummeted.

"Kain!" Iris cried.

As Kain crashed into the ground, Saya bound Kain in a stream of light, then created a large gate with her eight blades. The doors opened, where Saya threw Kain in the gate and disappeared, where the doors closed. After a few moments, the doors opened up and Kain flew out all beaten and bruised, while Saya floated out and reclaimed her blades.

"This is fun, isn't it, Brother..." Saya said. "I haven't seen you this worked up for a while now."

Kain clenched his teeth. At this rate, he couldn't save himself, let alone Saya. Trying for a new result, Kain submerged his left claw into the ground. Under Saya, the head of the Black Beast emerged from it as it tried to bite Saya, but she flew up, avoiding the beast. Kain pulled out his arm, where the head of the beast took its place instead of the claw.

"That's it, Brother..." Saya moaned. "More. More! Use the Azure! You know you want to!"

"Goddamn it..." Kain muttered as he tried to shut off his Azure, hoping that it would calm Saya down, but to no avail.

"Snap out of it, Saya!" Iris cried, pounding on the barrier. "He's your brother! Think about what you're doing!"

"Please, save your energy, Miss Iris," Envy snickered. "It's not like she's listening to you."

Iris glared at Envy, who was fighting Mu as they spoke.

"Why would you do this!?" Iris yelled.

"For the sake of my goal, of course," Envy said. "Plus, if those two kill each other off, then that would help out too. Less nuisances is always a great benefit to any plan. And if they actually do merge and become the Black Beast, then that would mean more material to use. A win-win scenario...for me at least."

"Change Saya back to normal!" iris yelled, holding her shield up.

"Do you honestly think I can do that?" Envy asked. "I only released the Azure within her. Their Azures are resonating. The body and the heart of the Black Beast must merge to become whole."

"So they're trying to fuse!?" Mu yelled.

"Mostly Saya," Envy said. "Kain's probably fighting it, both against Saya, and against his own body's urge to merge."

"He wants to merge!?" Iris yelled.

"His body yes, but Kain himself is doing his best to fight it," Envy said. "Although at this rate, he won't last."

"Says you! Kain will defeat Saya and bring her back to her senses!" Iris rebuttled.

"It's not a matter of whether he can _beat_ Saya," Envy said. "It's whether he can _survive_."

"Wha-?" Iris asked.

At that moment, Kain smashed into the wall.

"Kain!" Iris cried.

He struggled to get back up, only for Saya to stab him in the gut once more. As Kain gagged in pain, he tried to grab Saya, but his arm suddenly stopped.

"What...?" Kain asked.

"Aw...you're hesitating..." Saya cooed. "You don't have to hold it in you know. Just let it all out..."

Kain managed to sneak his wings between them and slash Saya away from him, giving him time to recover.

_Damn it! At this rate, I won't last long...I need to somehow knock her out at least..._

"Kain! Are you alright!?" Iris cried from behind the barrier.

"Does it look like I'm alright!?" Kain growled, clearly not in the mood.

"S-Sorry..." Iris stuttered. "But...you will save Saya...right?"

Kain didn't respond to her.

"K-Kain...?" Iris asked.

"...Sorry," Kain said, then headed out.

"Kain!?" Iris yelled.

"Looks like he can't keep that promise," Envy chuckled.

"What is your goal!?" Mu growled. "Why would you do all of this!? What purpose does this all have!?"

"...Now there's something no one's bothered to ask for a while..." Envy said. "The last time I answered that question was...right, when I fought Kain and his meddlesome friends back at the Gate..."

Envy took a slight bow.

"All I've heard during my time with those wretched fools was the 'destruction' of the world..." Envy said. "Indeed, by destroying the Master Unit, then the time loops and the continuum shifts would stop. Indeed, if they were to activate the Kushinada Lynchpin, then all seithr on the planet would be rendered useless and the planet would collapse. Both factors would indeed lead to this so-called 'destruction' that they're all looking forward to. But..."

He looked back up.

"What lies at the end of the 'destruction'?" Envy asked them. "What use is there if nothing lies at the end of the 'destruction'?"

"W-what?" Mu asked, rather confused.

"I have always had my doubts on their so-called 'plan'," Envy said. "What worth is there to destroy something as precious as the world...?"

"Like you're any better!" Iris yelled. "You would destroy the world the second you got the chance!"

"Perhaps," Envy said. "But I wouldn't just leave it like that."

"What?"

"Indeed, I do agree with the 'destruction'," Envy said. "This world is unfit the way it is now. It is full of lies...pain...tragedy...despair...it deserves to face destruction..."

"What're you...?" Mu asked.

"But...just to destroy it will do no justice..." Envy went on. "Why not _change_ the world?"

"Change the world?" Iris asked.

"A world where there is no pain...no sorrow...no struggle...no despair..." Envy said. "A world of true peace and harmony...surely that is something everyone desires..."

"Is that your aim?" Iris asked. "Do you honestly think we would believe that someone like you would accomplish something like that!?"

"You're free to believe whatever you want," Envy said. "But the world needs to change."

Envy suddenly shot back up and lifted his arms.

"Exactly! This world must change!" Envy suddnely boomed. "So I shall destroy the world, and recreate the world into a true utopia, where I shall rule as its true lord!"

"You're insane!" Iris yelled. "How do you expect to accomplish something like that!?"

"That is why I have come here..." Envy said. "Here...I shall obtain the power I need to carry out my goal."

The two glared at Envy, but couldn't help but feel unnerved. What he was saying was pure madness, but could it be accomplished. Is there such a power that would allow him to destroy and create the world?

* * *

"Laser pointer."

"Over here."

Back at the castle, Claude was working on Sieg's maintenance, where Burai was helping him by handing him the tools necessary. Burai handed him a laser pointer, where Claude accepted it, adjusted the intensity of the laser and used it to fix some damaged parts in Sieg.

"So how much longer do you need to fix Sieg?" Burai asked.

"A little more," Claude said. "At this rate, I might need to give Sieg some upgrades. You doing alright, buddy?"

Sieg nodded in response, reassuring Claude, who in response continued his work.

"So what do you think's gonna happen now, man?" Burai asked.

"Frankly, I don't know..." Claude said. "We still need to figure out what Envy's planning, and it looks like the relationships between our group and the others are pretty brittle at the time being, especially Itsuki and the Imper–Mr. Kisaragi."

"Yeah...Goddamn it, they both just have too big of a pride to work together so easily..." Burai said. "I figured Itsuki would put his pride aside though...since he's dealing with his future pops..."

"You didn't factor in Mr. Kisaragi's pride..." Claude said. "When Ms. Tsubaki told us he used to be pretty prideful, she wasn't kidding though..."

Claude continued his maintenance in silence, while Burai stared at the ceiling.

"...Do you think everything's gonna work out?" Claude asked.

"Huh?" Burai asked.

"I mean, we fell back to the past," Claude explained. "Even if Ms. Kokonoe told us that she would be able to find a way to bring us back to the future, there's no 100% guarantee that she can bring us back. There's not even a good chance we can even stop Envy."

"Yo, don't think like that," Burai said. "We'll beat that freak, and we'll get back."

"But–," Claude said.

"Well, whining about it won't solve anything either," Burai deadpanned. "Now, c'mon, focus on fixing Sieg. We need as much support as we can. Plus, you two work together as a team."

Sieg nodded in response.

"...You're right, I guess..." Claude said. "The best thing we can do is hope for the best and be prepared for the worst..."

"That's the spirit, man!" Burai cheered, patting Claude on his back. "Besides, we need to get back. We can't really have our parents worry about us for too long."

"Or more like you wanna ask Hikari out on a date," Claude snickered.

"Wha-!? The hell're you talking about!?" Burai stammered, blushing.

"Hehe, you can't hide it, now can you?" Claude teased. "Curious though, why haven't you asked her out at this point? You've hit on a lot of other girls before?"

"Shut up, man!" Burai yelled. "You of all people should know why I can't do that!"

"...Her overprotective brother?" Claude asked.

"I swear, he's out for blood sometimes!" Burai yelled. "Do you know what happened the last time someone tried to ask Hikari out!?"

"Itsuki almost maimed them?" Claude asked.

"'Maim' is an understatement!" Burai yelled. "No one heard from the dude ever again!"

"Oh come on, that's over-exaggerating it, don't you think," Claude said.

"You of all people should know that Itsuki's capable of such a thing," Burai deadpanned. "Knowing Itsuki's violent nature plus his overprotectiveness, it would be normal if he froze my ass, then hacked it off!"

"Right..." Claude said, remembering Itsuki's abilities.

"But...that's possibly the least of my problems..." Burai said. "There's one bigger problem…"

"Huh? Oh...right," Claude said.

The biggest problem for him asking out Hikari, was that said girl was already in love with someone else. And that person is perhaps Burai's best friend and possibly worst enemy.

"If you want, I could put in a good word for you," Claude said. "Itsuki would probably listen to me more than you."

"Yeah, but then he'll probably think that I set you up into doing this," Burai said.

"Right, I guess he is sharp enough to think that," Claude said.

"The life of an adolescent is tough, ain't it, gaydar," Burai sighed.

"Right–wait what!?" Claude yelled. "What the hell's a 'gaydar'!?"

"Gay plus radar equals 'gaydar'," Burai said as if it were common sense. "You seem to attract gay people like a radar."

"I'm not gay, GODDAMN IT!" Claude screamed.

"Right, *cough*guywholookslikealady*cough*," Burai teased, referencing to a certain 'peculiar' man that Claude had met already.

"Why you–!" Claude growled.

"I'm just joking, jeez calm your ass down," Burai snickered.

Trying to find something to calm him down, Claude continued on his maintenance.

"Alright, the outer damages are fixed," Claude said. "Sieg, I need you to open your chest."

Sieg nodded in response, and opened up his chest and helmet, revealing his human part. His soulless blue eyes stared at Claude as he wiped off the sweat on Sieg's body.

"Looks like your core was going to overheat..." Claude said. "We're gonna have to let it cool off for now..."

Sieg nodded in response. But as Claude was about to continue, something out the window caught his attention.

"? What's that?" Claude asked.

"Huh?" Burai asked.

They looked out to see the event that was going on outside at the garden.

"What's going on?" Burai asked.

"Let's check it out," Claude suggested.

Sieg quickly closed up his chest as the two headed out to the door, but Sieg stopped them.

"Huh? Sieg?" Claude asked.

Sieg opened the window and grabbed the two. His boosters started to charge energy as he jumped out of the window.

"What the–!?" they yelled as they fell out of the window.

Before they plummeted to the ground, Sieg released the energy in his boosters to cushion the fall. They all rushed over to the group, where the girls saw them coming.

* * *

"Burai! Claude!" Hikari exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Burai asked.

"Kain's been kidnapped, along with Iris and Saya," Mary informed them.

"What!?" they yelled.

"Goddamn it! Who did it!?" Burai yelled.

"It was someone called Phantom..." Hikari answered.

At the mention of the name 'Phantom', Sieg looked up, flinching a little.

"Sieg?" Claude asked, taking his reaction to notice.

"Did you find them!?" Burai yelled, ignoring Claude.

"Alicia and Kidou are searching for them, but no luck so far..." Mary said.

"Damn it!" Burai muttered, then turned to the two. "C'mon! Can't you two do any better!?"

"And do ya think you could do any better?" Kidou practically snarled, making Burai back off.

"Kidou," Alicia scolded.

Kidou said nothing, and turned back to his position.

"I understand that both of you are worried for Kain," Alicia said. "But fighting among ourselves won't solve anything."

"...R-Right..." Burai said. "Sorry..."

"It's alright," Kidou said, calming down. "Just leave finding them ta' us."

"Right..." Burai said, calming down.

As Burai looked away from them nervously, he spotted Ragna, Jin and Kagura.

"Geh! Kagura Mutsuki!?" Burai blurted.

"? Do I know you?" Kagura asked confused.

"Heh!? No! No! Not really!" Burai stammered.

As Kagura looked a bit confused, Burai backed away a little.

"What's wrong with Burai?" Mary asked.

"Right, you were with Sector Seven, so you don't know," Hikari said.

"Huh?"

"There were some...issues with Burai and Mr. Mutsuki," Claude explained. "Burai can't find himself disobeying him, along with Kidou."

"Wait, why do you know this!?" Mary asked. "You were with me too, right!?"

"I told you this before, but you didn't listen," Claude sighed.

"Heh?! Really!?" Mary asked.

Claude and Hikari only sighed, whereas Sieg shifted his glance at Alicia and Kidou. After a moment of staring, Sieg made his way towards the two.

"Huh? Sieg?" Claude asked.

Sieg constricted his claws, where his core started to glow. He then shot them out at the screen in front of Alicia, sinking into it. From his core to his claws, a blue energy flowed from the indents of it, entering the screen, changing the color of the screen and adding a few more in the process.

"What the–!?" they gasped.

"Sieg's amplifying the Avalon?" Alicia asked. "This could work!"

The extra power paid off, as after a few minutes, they finally located Kain's whereabouts.

"Found them!" Alicia announced.

"Really!?" Burai yelled.

She pulled up the screen and enlarged it to show the others. On the screen was Kain, who was in the middle of his fight against Saya.

"What the–!?" Burai yelled.

"Kain!? Saya!?" Claude yelled.

"Why're they fighting!?" Hikari asked.

Ragna looked speechless as he watched the fight. The two siblings fighting each other in a bloodbath brought back his own memories of his fighting. His own bloodbaths. His own slaughters of the Murakumos. His own slaughtering of his–.

He shook his head. If anything, he didn't' want to remember that. Especially in light of recent events.

"Hey, is everyone else there!?" Ragna asked.

Alicia shifted the view to outside the circle, where they saw Mu, Izayoi, Makoto and Hakumen facing Envy, while Iris was trying to break through the barrier surrounding Kain and Saya.

"Noel!" Ragna yelled.

"Tsubaki!" Jin yelled.

"We need to get there now!" Hikari yelled.

"Already on it," Kidou said.

He stood back up and created a large circle below him. Everyone quickly stepped on the circle, where Kidou warped them to the scene.

* * *

When they arrived at the scene, Mu and Izayoi flew right into Ragna and Jin.

"Whoa!? What the-Noel!?" Ragna yelled.

"Huh!?" Mu blurted, looking up to see Ragna. "Ragna!?"

"Jin!?" Izayoi gasped, looking up to see him. "Why are you here!?"

"Now's not the time," Jin said, analyzing the current scenario.

Hakumen and Envy were exchanging blows from their swords, where Envy found an opening as Hakumen prepared an overhead and struck a clean blow at his abdomen. As Hakumen fell back, Makoto tried to smash him from behind, but Envy got on his hands and smashed his feet at Makoto. As he landed back on his feet, Envy flung his swords at the group, but several chains shot out from the group, breaking the swords. The chains belonged to Sieg, who retracted them back to his arms.

"Well, well, 'tis been a while, puppet," Envy said.

Sieg seemed to glare at Envy, but shifted his attention to the large barrier.

"Is Kain in there?" Claude asked.

Sieg pointed to the barrier, where Kain was indeed in there, trying to survive Saya's wrath.

"Does that answer your question?" Itsuki asked.

"Let's go already!" Burai yelled as he ran towards the barrier.

"Do yo think you can do anything?" Envy asked.

"Says you!" Burai growled, brandishing his weapon where it glowed.

He took one huge step and dash towards the barrier at blinding speed, somehow vanishing as he reached the barrier.

"What!? The Tengu!?" Envy gasped. "He managed to retrieve it!?"

As Saya was about to slice Kain's throat, Burai reappeared in front of him and intercepted the slash.

"!? Burai!?" Kain gasped.

"Yo, man! Long time no see!" Burai exclaimed as he pushed Saya back.

"Tch! Why can't he calm down for once...?" Itsuki groaned as he and the others, save Alicia and Kidou, followed.

Itsuki brandished his sword and stabbed it to the ground, freezing the ground and part of the barrier, where Sieg broke through effortlessly. There, everyone entered the barrier, and Iris rolled in just as the barrier regenerated itself.

"Kain!" the girls cried.

"!? You guys!?" Kain exclaimed, before coughing up more blood.

"Are you alright!?" Iris cried, helping Kain up.

"Could've been better," Kain said, then glancing at Saya.

"Is there any way to save her?" Iris asked.

"No idea," Kain said. "This was the first time this actually happened."

"Then how do you stop this!?" Itsuki yelled.

"Trial and error," Kain said. "For now, let's at least knock Saya out cold. I don't care how you do it. Just KO her!"

"Got'cha, buddy!" Burai exclaimed as he rushed towards Saya.

"Burai, wait!" Claude yelled as he and Sieg followed him.

"That idiot!" Itsuki muttered as he followed them.

As Saya got back up, Burai dashed towards Saya and struck at her, but Saya easily blocked his attack and tried to slash him down, but Burai vanished as soon as she attacked, where Itsuki and Claude followed in and kicked Saya in the gut. As Saya fell back, Itsuki brandished his sword and shot a long vertical shockwave, while Sieg charged some energy to his palms, put them together and smashed the ground, sending another shockwave towards Saya. Saya shrugged the shockwaves off and created several blue orbs, aimed for the three. Sieg, sensing the danger, grabbed the two and jetted away from her, evading all the laser barrages at great speed. Once the lasers stopped, Sieg placed Claude down and hurled Itsuki into the air, where he froze the moisture around him to make a platform. He then aimed his sword at Saya, while charging cold air and light from the moon.

"FULL MOONSONG!"

Itsuki fired a large arrow of ice at Saya, who only jumped out-of-the-way. But as she flew up, Claude and Sieg chased after her, where Claude grabbed Saya and hurled her to the ground. As she flew to the ground, Sieg went for a diving kick and pummeled Saya to the ground. As Saya got back up, Burai reappeared behind Saya and slashed her from behind. Following up Burai, Kidou rushed in, grabbed Saya's head and hurled her to the wall, where he drove his large sword at her, pummeling her to the wall.

"How's that!?" Burai growled.

Saya just shrugged it all off and smashed her foot into Kidou's gut.

"Guoogh!?" Kidou gagged as he flew back.

"Kidou!" Kain and Alicia cried.

Saya glanced over to see the girls with Kain, and suddenly dropped her unnerving grin.

"What...what're you doing, Brother?" Saya asked. "Why're you with those whores?"

"Great, she's so insane, she can't even recognize her friends..." Kain grumbled.

"You harpies..." Saya mumbled. "Get away...GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY LOVE!"

Saya released several blue orbs all across the area.

"Oh fu–BRACE YOURSELVES!" Kain screamed.

They all went in a guarding position as the blue orbs released a tempest of lasers upon the crowd. As the lasers showered upon them, Saya used the opportunity to warp towards Iris, who had shielded him.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM, YOU BITCH!" Saya screamed as she created a large claw of darkness similar to Kain's claw, and grabbed Iris.

"DIE!"

Saya lifted Iris up, and bombarded her with several tendrils resembling small serpents, until she finally crushed her grip, blasting her in darkness.

"Iris!" Kain cried.

"**Now...let's end this..." **Saya moaned as her eight swords circled around and created a large blue sword that impaled Kain.

"GAUGH!?" Kain gagged as the sword created a bind that trapped Kain.

As Kain was bound by blue lights and swords, Saya flew up, where the eight sword wings around her circled around quickly, enlarging into eight gargantuan swords similar to Saya's Arma.

"Oh shi–!" Kidou muttered.

"**AZURE JUDGMENT SWORDS!"**

The swords aimed across the stage, mainly at Kain, and shot down like meteors.

"LOOK OUT!" Iris cried.

Kain could only brace himself as the eight gargantuan swords rained down on the stage, decimating everything.

* * *

Meanwhile, while they were fighting, Envy had already prepared psychic swords and shot them at them, but Kagura swung his sword, blocking the swords.

"? Why if it isn't General Kagura," Envy said. "Long time no see."

"You're the jester from before," Kagura said.

"? You do know who you're siding with, right?" Envy asked, pointing to Ragna. "Isn't that the feared 'Grim Reaper' that the NOL's after? Are you sure you should be cooperating with your enemy?"

"I don't need to tell you shit," Kagura growled.

"Oh, too bad," Envy said. "Oh don't worry, I defected from the NOL, so your little 'secret' is safe with me. Just don't get in my way."

"Normally I wouldn't deal with some freak like you," Kagura said. "But I've got a score to settle with you."

"...Oh?" Envy asked.

Kagura lifted his gargantuan sword up and pointed it towards Envy.

"You killed my subordinates," Kagura said. "They had a daughter that they cherished. And you killed them."

"...So?" Envy asked.

"I'll be taking vengeance for them!" Kagura yelled as he lunged towards Envy.

"Oh do try," Envy said as he brandished some psychic swords and launched them at Kagura.

Kagura in response drove his sword to the ground and used to as a shield to defend himself from the swords. Kagura then leaped over the sword and kicked Envy in the gut. As Envy staggered, Kagura swung his sword, smashing Envy to a tree.

"As expected of the former Imperator..." Envy said. "Oh wait, that's not until a few years later. But still, rather formidable for a human..."

"Quiet!" Kagura growled as he continued his onslaught on Envy.

The two continued to exchange blows with their swords, where Kagura made an overhead slash, only to have it blocked by Envy. Envy managed to push Kagura back, and slashed him with both blades.

"CARNAGE SCISSORS!"

As Kagura fell back, Ragna suddenly dashed towards Envy, violently swinging his sword.

"ARCTIC DAGGER!"

Envy managed to dodge Ragna's assault, only to fall into Jin's shockwave. As Envy fell back and landed back on his feet, Ragna and Jin regrouped with Kagura.

"Oh, the siblings finally show up..." Envy said.

"So you're Envy, huh..." Ragna growled. "You really have some nerve kidnapping these runts..."

"Oh? Are you worried that I killed your future wife and son?" Envy asked. "Curious though, how does it feel?"

"The hell're you talking about?" Ragna asked.

"You end up violating a clone of your sister of all people," Envy said. "And Kain and his siblings are the result of those 'actions'. How does it feel to have your future set in stone? How does it feel to violate your 'sister'?"

Before Envy could continue though, Ragna held his Blood-Scythe up to Envy's neck.

"Shut the hell up, you masked freak," Ragna hissed. "Before I freaking KILL YOU!"

"I suggest you not do that quite yet," Envy said. "Unless you want me to kill your _other_ son."

"'Other son'?" Ragna asked.

"You didn't here from Kain?" Envy asked. "Besides Saya, he has a little brother, Akira."

Ragna's eyes widened at that fact. He had a **third** child? And he's in Envy's grasp?

"Where the hell is he!?" Ragna yelled.

"Oh, that question..." Envy said rather unenthusiastically. "Kain's been asking that over and over like a broken record. Don't worry, I won't kill him...**yet**...I do need him for my plans."

"Where!? Is!? He!?" Ragna growled.

"Why don't you make me tell you?" Envy taunted.

Ragna immediately slashed at Envy, but Envy jabbed at Ragna before he could land a hit.

"Guagh!?" Ragna gagged.

"DEMISE JUGGERNAUT!"

Envy drove his foot against the lodged sword in Ragna's chest and drove him into a tree.

"Ragna!" Mu cried.

As Ragna puked blood, Jin came from behind and slashed Envy hard.

"How dare you!" Jin growled.

"Oh...on the contrary..." Envy said, trying to shrug off the pain. "It was too easy..."

Jin went for another attack, but Envy practically ripped Ragna from the tree and hurled him into Jin.

"Jin!" Izayoi cried.

"RYUUHA GOKUENJIN!"

As Envy was about to move, Kagura drove his sword into the ground and released a burst of jet-black flames that dragged along the ground, where it engulfed Envy in the flames. Envy managed to get out, however, and prepare one lone sword.

"DESPAIR RAIN!"

Envy shot the sword into the sky, where several psychic swords rained from the sky and showered upon the three warriors.

"And that is game set," Envy said.

But as Envy was about to make his next move, Mu and Izayoi drove their swords into his gut.

"Gh!? What the–!?" Envy gagged.

"You bastard!" they screamed as they drove Envy against the barrier.

"Gugh!? Why you–!" Envy growled, but then noticed the battle in the barrier. "Oh my."

"What's so funny!?" Mu hissed.

"You might wanna check this out," Envy said.

They looked up, where the last image they saw was Saya shooting eight gargantuan swords to the group, followed by a huge explosion of dust and rubble.

"Well didn't that end rather...explosive..." Envy said.

"KAIN!" Mu cried.

* * *

The dust cleared eventually to reveal that everyone was severely wounded and blown across the area. They all struggled to get back up.

"Ugh...is everyone...alright?" Iris called out.

"God...damn it..." Burai coughed up. "That Astral's...overpowered..."

"At least we're all in tact...at least..." Claude managed to say, helping Sieg back up.

They looked up to the sky. Floating in the middle of the dust-colored sky was Saya, as her eight sword wings returned to her.

"Saya..." Alicia said.

"Why can't she snap out of it...?" Mary asked.

"The...Black Beast's merging..." Itsuki answered. "It seems that Saya's only focusing on merging with Kain and nothing else..."

"To her...we don't even exist to her..." Kidou added. "Hell, y'all girls are her greatest nuisance..."

"Wait...what happened to Kain!?" Iris cried.

Realizing this, they all frantically searched around for Kain and found him, but he wasn't all right.

"Kain!" Iris cried.

Kain was in the middle of the rubble, practically soaking in his own blood, decorated with severe sword wounds that leaked blood. His sword wings were damaged and didn't respond to Kain's struggle to get back up. Even the simplest of motion was a challenge for him, as the slightest of motion caused him even more pain. The Azure was barely keeping him alive, but **barely**.

"Augh...gaugh...guagh..." Kain struggled to groan, before puking out more blood.

"KAIN!" the girls cried as they desperately tried to get up, but were too hurt to do so.

As Kain himself tried effortlessly to get up, Saya landed on him, pinning his limbs to the ground with her sword wings.

"GAAAAUGH!?" Kain screamed.

"KAIN!" they cried.

"The nuisances are all gone..." Saya cooed. "Now it's just you and me...Brother..."

Kain tried to break free, but he couldn't move at all. Saya caressed Kain's head, as the remaining sword wings stabbed through her and Kain all together.

"GAAH!"

"Ahh...this is Brother's blood..." Saya moaned as she licked the red liquid that stained her hands. "It's so warm...it's so delicious..."

Kain struggled to get back up, but Saya stopped any effort to do so.

"Doesn't this bring back memories, Brother?" Saya whispered into his ear.

"What...?" Kain asked.

"You know, back when we were little?" Saya went on. "I know I did a bad thing to you, but I couldn't help myself..."

"...Stop it..." Kain gagged.

"You understood my pain, right?" Saya asked. "Even if I did take advantage of the situation."

"Stop it," Kain said.

"You enjoyed it too right?" Saya went on. "That's why you–."

"Stop it!" Kain managed to growl, as he tried to lift his arm and grip his sword.

"Don't worry," Saya assured Kain. "I won't say a thing. At least not around the others. It'll be our...little...secret..."

"Snap...out of...it...Saya..." Kain managed to say. "This...isn't you..."

"Oh, but this is me..." Saya practically exhaled. "We were meant to do this, Brother. We were meant to become the Black Beast...and finally have our revenge on humanity for forsaking us...for treating us like animals..."

"Is humanity...really something that bad...?" Kain asked.

"Are you seriously asking that?" Saya asked, stopping her caressing. "You should know how they treated us! They all need to die! They all need to understand the pain and misery they made us go through!"

"Didn't humanity...give us our friends...?" Kain asked.

"Eh?"

"You really need to learn to let go and move on..." Kain said with all of his strength. "You may have had a bad past...hell, I went through it with you...but now, you have friends..."

Saya looked rather confused as she looked around, where Hikari, Mary and Alicia managed to crawl near them and held their weapons out, pointed at her. Iris, strangely enough, was trying to pry her off of him.

"They all want to stop you from making a grave mistake..." Kain whispered, losing energy.

"Brother..." Saya said.

"Of course, I can't really forgive humanity too..." Kain admitted. "Trying to forgive humanity after all the shit I went through...would be the last thing I do..."

"Then–!" Saya insisted.

"But...if I'm grateful for anything those assholes ever did..." Kain said. "It's that without them, I would've never met everyone..."

Saya looked speechless as she started to pry the swords from him. Kain now had a free arm, which he used to caress Saya's face.

"It's because of everyone...I actually considered forgiving humanity..." Kain said. "I was able to fight...not just for blind carnage and to lash out this hatred...but to actually protect someone..."

"Brother..." Saya said.

He tried to get up, where Saya helped him up.

"You always said that you hated men or you wanted everyone to die..." Kain said. "Then what about everyone here...?"

She looked around, where the girls laid down their weapons and Iris had stopped prying her off, smiling. The guys managed to get back up, albeit weakly, and went to the group.

"Are you seriously going to tell me that all the good times you had with everyone back at the academy were lies?" Kain asked. "You didn't enjoy being with everyone?"

"I..." Saya tried to say, but couldn't find the words to say it.

"C'mon," Kain said. "You're no longer alone. You don't have to be in pain anymore..."

Saya was speechless. It was as if all the years of suffering and coldness just melted away with that realization that took her all her life to realize.

"I..." Saya stammered, tears falling from her eyes.

No longer being able to hold it in, she fell into Kain's chest crying.

"I'm sorry!" Saya sobbed. "Saya was a bad girl!"

Kain only smiled, and let his sister cry in his chest as he rubbed her head.

"It took you this long to realize this, eh?" Kain asked softly.

"Saya..." Alicia said happily.

* * *

"Oh, time's up."

Envy warped out of his current lock and above the group.

"Oh no!" Izayoi yelled.

"KAIN!" Mu screamed.

They all looked up to see Envy.

"Sorry to rain on your parade," Envy said. "But I've seen enough. I collected all the data I need, so..."

Envy created a psychic sword and twirled it on his finger.

"You're now useless, Kain," Envy said. "Die."

"Shi–! Protect Kain!" Kidou screamed.

They all ran to him, but Envy was too fast. He had already launched the sword at Kain. Kain tried to get out-of-the-way, but the wounds were too much for him to handle. The sword bulleted to Kain, aimed for his chest, and he couldn't–.

"BROTHER!"

Before Kain could realize it, Saya pushed him out-of-the-way, where the sword stabbed through her heart. The sword sunk in deep as blood spewed out from the wound and she fell over.

"SAYAAAAAA!"

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** Part one is done, onto part two! Possibly my shortest author's note ever! And yeah, that's why I asked if any of you hate Envy.


	27. Chapter 27: Beyond the Inferno

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 27: Beyond the Inferno**

* * *

**AN:** I really got nothing to say, oh wait I do. Enjoy!

_TEXT=people's thoughts/unspecified dialogue_

TEXT=distortion drives

**TEXT=astral heats**

* * *

_No...nonononononono!_

_This can't be happening! This CAN'T be happening!_

_Saya!_

* * *

Kain could only watch in horror as the sword that was meant to stab him instead took his sister as its victim and pierced her through.

"SAYAAAA!" he screamed as she fell over.

"No..." Alicia said.

"This can't be...!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Why...? Why her!?" Mary managed to yell.

Kain desperately crawled over to Saya and lifted her in his arms.

"No...This can't be happening..." he muttered. "Hey...wake up...c'mon, Saya...please wake up!"

Kain nudged at her and shook her, but thankfully, she coughed up blood.

"B...Brother..." Saya mumbled. "You're...safe..."

"Thank god...you're alive..." Kain sighed in relief. "Hang on, I'll heal you up right now."

Kain tried to heal her using his Azure, but neither the Azure nor Saya showed any signs of healing.

"Huh...? Why...why isn't it working?" Kain asked, frightened. "Come on...work! Work already!"

The others rushed over to the siblings with all the strength they could muster up.

"Damn it! Goddamn it!" Kain cried. "Why won't it heal!? Damn it!"

"Well, that was unexpected, but I guess it works out," Envy said.

Kain didn't even pay attention to Envy. His attention was completely towards his dying sister.

"Heal! Heal already! Goddamn it, you piece of shit!" Kain screamed at his arm. "Goddamn it, Kidou!"

He turned to Kidou, but he couldn't lift his arms due to the injuries he sustained. Losing all hope, he desperately continued his efforts to heal her, but to no avail.

"Damn it! GODDAMN IT!" Kain screamed.

"Bro...ther..." Saya mumbled, crying. "I'm...scared..."

She reached out to Kain, who grabbed her hand.

"I'm...scared..." Saya mumbled, fear eminent in her weak tone. "I don't want to leave everyone...I don't want to be alone again...Please...save me..."

"Don't worry, I'll save you Saya!" Kain exclaimed frantically, his voice breaking while tears flowed out of his eyes uncontrollably. "You won't be alone, I promise!"

"Thank you...Brother..." Saya mumbled, trying to smile. "Huh...? Why are you...crying...?"

She tried to lift her arm to wipe Kain's tears away.

"Please don't cry...Brother..." Saya whispered. "Please...don't cry..."

"Huh? I'm...fine..." Kain managed to say. "I'm just happy that you finally trust everyone now."

"I guess..." Saya whispered. "But...you'll always be the one I trust the most...Brother...? You love me...right?"

"Yeah," Kain assured Saya. "I love you. You're my precious sister. I'll always love you."

"That's good...to hear..." Saya mumbled. "I...love you...too...Bro–."

Before she could finish her sentence, her hand fell to the ground. Kain's eyes widened with fear and agony as he lifted her arm back up, but to let it fall again.

"Saya...? Saya!?" Kain yelled.

She was cold. Her eyes had no signs of life anymore. She laid there still, motionless, when the cold, harsh truth finally settled in Kain's mind as his expression filled with agony and sadness.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

* * *

"What...what happened?" Mu asked, trembling. "Saya...died...?"

The energy to her legs suddenly vanished, as she fell to her knees.

"Noel!" Izayoi exclaimed.

"That...can't be..." Mu murmured as tears started to flow from her eyes.

"Noel?" Izayoi asked.

She buried her face into her hands as she continued to cry. Meanwhile, Ragna's eyes widened as he dropped his sword.

"Brother?" Jin asked.

"What...the hell...?" Ragna asked, still trying to let the reality sink in.

"Brother! Get a hold of yourself!" Jin tried to shake Ragna out of his trance.

He didn't budge, however. The shock still got to him. He couldn't stop trembling. The sight of Saya dying caused so many emotions and memories to surge back to his head. The mere sight of someone who not only looked like his own sister, but Noel, and that she was in fact his biological daughter was enough to make Ragna fall to his knees.

"Brother!?" Jin gasped.

"Yo, you alright?" Kagura asked.

"It can't really be helped," Envy suddenly said.

They all turned their attention to Envy, where Ragna and Mu glared at him.

"The man has just lost his daughter," Envy said. "Even if it was for a short time, the mere fact will make any person feel dread and grief."

"You piece of shit..." Ragna growled.

"Why did you have to kill her!?" Mu yelled.

"Frankly, I could've killed Kain and it wouldn't have made a difference," Envy said. "This is all to ensure my plan goes underway with the least amount of 'obstacles' in my way."

"You asshole!" Burai yelled. "You think you're gonna get away with this!?"

"Oh without a doubt," Envy said. "You all have no power left inside of you to stop me because of that last blast."

He then turned to the others.

"And you just proved to me that you all couldn't stop me," Envy said. "With such little power, how do you plan to stop me?"

While all they could only do is glare at the jester, Kain held Saya in his trembling arms.

"You...bastard..." Kain growled, trembling. "Why...why did Saya have to die...?"

"Like I said, it didn't matter," Envy deadpanned. "She just delayed your own demise, so she evidently killed herself. Honestly, you could blame **yourself** for letting your sister die."

"BULLSHIT!" Kain screamed. "Give them back..."

"Kain?" Iris asked, noticing Kain's trembling hands.

"Give them back..." Kain said rather angrily. "Saya...Akira...give them back...they're my only siblings..."

His left claw started to react violently.

"What?" Envy asked.

"Give them back! GIVE ME BACK MY FAMILY!" Kain screamed as the Azure began to burst from his arm and enveloped him.

From the storm of seithr that surrounded Kain, emerged a horrific monster that resembled Beast Kain, but his claw, chest, shoulder pads and wings represented heads of the Black Beast, as his sword became a large head of the beast. His previously covered mouth ripped open to reveal blood-written and sharp teeth as his eyes only showed feral and murderous eyes and bloodshot pupil.

* * *

"K-Kain!?" Iris gasped.

Beast Kain let out a blood-curdling screech as he rocketed towards Envy at blinding speed and grabbed him with the sword, where he broke through the barrier and pummeled Envy to the ground.

"What the–!?" Envy gagged as he crashed in the ground.

As Envy struggled to get out of his grasp, Beast Kain proceeded to shoot his gut at point-blank until Envy managed to stab him in the neck. Beast Kain had to let him go and fall back, but he easily pulled out the sword, as his neck healed quickly.

"Isn't this an outcome..." Envy said. "Such a chance like this won't come again!"

Envy materialized two psychic swords and lunged towards Beast Kain, but he stopped him simply by grabbing him by the arm and flinging him around like a rag doll.

"Gh! Don't get cocky!" Envy yelled as he shot psychic swords above Beast Kain.

Beast Kain saw this coming and lifted Envy above him, using him as a human shield from the swords.

"Guogh!?" Envy gagged as the swords pierced through his body. Blood burst from the sides of his mask.

"**Give...them...back...!"** Beast Kain growled as he hurled Envy across the field, following it with a huge charge shot from the sword, which caused part of the terrain to get decimated.

While Beast Kain was mauling Envy, everyone else managed to recover and regroup, only to witness the horrors that was Beast Kain.

"That's...Kain...?" Izayoi asked, trembling.

She remembered the last time she faced the wrath of Beast Kain, and the wrath she's seeing now put that experience to shame.

"So he reveals his true colors..." Hakumen said.

"The shock from Saya's death must have finally made him lose it," Alicia said.

"Will he be able to retain himself?" Kagura asked.

"His brother was kidnapped before he got here and his sister just got killed," Alicia shot back. "This kind of rage would be obvious. At this rate, he won't stop until he exacts his revenge."

"Then what the hell do we do!?" Ragna yelled.

"We escape," Alicia said.

"What!?" Jin yelled. "Do you honestly think we'll run!?"

"Don't you want to take Saya's revenge!?" Hikari yelled.

"Look at the situation!" Alicia yelled. "We might as well be taking on the Black Beast now! We need to retreat before Kain thinks we're all enemies!"

"What? Why would he do that?" Iris asked.

"Kain right now isn't thinking straight," Alicia said. "If we were to do something to interfere with his fight against Envy, then he would just try to eliminate us."

Everyone, especially Ragna and Mu, were reluctant to retreat, but Alicia gave them all a death glare that made them think otherwise.

"It's not like I want to leave him be," Alicia said. "But we can't do anything for him."

"We can't leave him like this!" Mu yelled as she rushed after Beast Kain.

"Noel! Wait, you idiot!" Ragna yelled, chasing after her.

As Beast Kain was about to fly over to where Envy was, Mu grabbed his arm.

"Kain! Snap out of it!" Mu yelled. "You're not yourself!"

Beast Kain only shifted his glance at his future mother and instead ripped out of her grip.

"**GAAAAH!"**

Beast Kain just smashed his claw into her gut and tossed her aside. She flew back rather far, until Ragna caught her midway.

"You alright?" Ragna asked.

"Kh...Thank you, Ragna," Mu said. "But..."

They turned to Beast Kain, who shifted his attention back to Envy. He managed to recover, but didn't look too good.

"Looks like this is more than I bargained for..." Envy muttered. "I have enough data...perhaps I should take my–"

Before Envy could finish that sentence, however, Beast Kain rammed into him at great speed.

"Gaha!" he gagged as he flew into a huge rock that lied on the terrain.

As Beast Kain approached Envy, he sprung out of the rock and slashed at Beast Kain, but the head that was his shoulder stopped the attack and gnawed on Envy's arm.

"Fu–!" Envy muttered.

Now trapped and unable to move, Beast Kain lunged Envy towards him and stabbed him with his sword arm. As Envy cringed in the tremendous pain, Beast Kain plucked Envy off from his shoulder by ripping his left arm off.

"GAAAAUGH!" Envy screamed.

"**Give them back...give me back my siblings!"** Beast Kain screeched as he continued to pummel Envy.

"...I can't stay here any longer..." Envy muttered, trying to escape and recuperate from the loss of his arm. "Data isn't worth my life..."

Envy managed to kick Beast Kain off of him and crawl back a little, but Beast Kain was relentless. He flew over to Envy and proceeded to trample him with his foot over and over. Meanwhile, the others were literally horrified by the bloodshed that 'Kain' was orchestrating, while his friends watched this with much guilt and fear.

"...We need to leave..." Burai finally said.

"What!? We can't–!" Hikari protested.

"Look at him!" Burai yelled, shaking her by the shoulders. "Do you honestly think **we** can stop him!? You of all people should know how strong he is!"

Hikari looked conflicted, but Burai managed to shake her out of it.

"You're not the only one who wants to take Saya's revenge," Burai said. "But there's nothing we can do now."

"...I guess..." Hikari muttered, looking away from Burai blushing a little.

Burai sighed a little, glancing at Beast Kain.

"Sorry pal...but looks like I can't help you out this time..." Burai muttered.

"I know how you feel," Claude said. "But..."

"Yeah, yeah," Burai said. "Alicia, can you teleport all of us?"

"Not everyone, but a good portion," Alicia responded. "If Kidou can help me, then we can teleport everyone."

Alicia turned to Kidou, but Kidou had other plans. He brandished his large sword and held it above his shoulder.

"Kidou!?" Alicia asked.

"I'm gonna go knock some sense into him," Kidou said

"You can't be serious!" Alicia protested. "It's too dangerous!"

"Don't worry yer pretty little head," Kidou smirked. "I'm not that brittle."

"That's not the point!" Alicia argued. "Kain's the **Black Beast** now!"

"An incomplete one, yeah," Kidou said. "I can handle it."

"You fool!" Alicia yelled.

"Don't worry," Kidou assured Alicia. "I'll just beat some sense into him, and if it gets too rough, I'll high-tail it out of there."

"But–!" Alicia yelled.

Kidou stopped her by petting her head, making her blush.

"You worry too much, Alicia," Kidou said. "Just get everyone outta here."

"...You two better get back here..." Alicia muttered.

Kidou only grinned and chuckled in response.

"Sieg, can ya' help Alicia out here?" Kidou asked.

Sieg nodded in response, and created a portal that surrounded the warriors around him, while Alicia created a black hole around the others, as Ragna and Mu returned to the group.

"Don'cha worry," Kidou said as they passed by. "I'll definitely save Kain."

"Please do..." Mu begged.

With that, the portals were about to vanish, but at the last minute, Iris and Ragna stepped out of Alicia's portal.

"Wha-!? Iri–!" Alicia yelled before teleporting.

"Ragn–!" Mu cried before teleporting.

* * *

Kidou looked surprised as Iris readied her shield and Ragna readied his sword.

"Wha'cha doin'?" Kidou asked.

"I want to save him too," Iris said.

"Heh!?" Kidou blurted. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa! You heard the others!"

"Don't try to stop me, Kidou," Iris said. "I won't leave Kain again."

"Look, Iris," Kidou tried to reason, but Iris practically grabbed his collar and glared at him coldly, catching even him off guard.

"Don't. Try. To. Stop. Me," Iris growled.

Surprised, Kidou managed to chuckle.

"You got spunk, kid," Kidou chuckled. "No wonder Kain likes ya'."

"Wh-what!?" Iris blurted, blushing.

"And you?" Kidou asked Ragna.

"Tch, I won't feel better until I smack some sense into that idiot," Ragna muttered.

"Ain't it 'cause you know how it felt to lose someone like that?" Kidou asked.

"...How much do you know about me?" Ragna asked.

"Kain told me a lot 'bout ya'," Kidou said. "Besides, you're just worried 'bout Kain like the rest of us, aren't ya'?"

"...Heh! I just need to get even with that brat..." Ragna mumbled. "He saved me when I went insane, might as well save him in return."

"Is that so..." Kidou said as they turned to a trail of explosions that went off. "Ha ha. Then let's go save him."

* * *

Envy managed to escape Beast Kain's clutches, but barely. Breathing heavily, he hid behind a tree to avoid Beast Kain.

"Persistent little..." Envy muttered, until he had to duck to avoid Beast Kain suddenly ripping through the tree that Envy hid behind.

Envy fell back and shot psychic swords at Beast Kain's chest, hoping for it to pierce his heart. They stabbed all over his body, but Beast Kain just shrugged it off and lunged towards Envy, forcing him to fall back.

"So that won't work," Envy muttered. "Let's try something else..."

As Beast Kain lunged towards Envy, he let his hand out and trapped Beast Kain in a trance. Envy lifted Beast Kain into the air and tried to strangle him, but Beast Kain was resilient. He resisted Envy's psychic grasp and managed to shoot Envy in the gut, making him release his grip. Beast Kain dropped back to the ground and stabbed Envy in the gut with his sword.

"Guoough!?" Envy gagged as more blood leaked from the sides of his mask.

Beast Kain then proceeded to stab the ground with Envy still stabbed through the sword.

"**GIVE THEM BACK!"** Beast Kain continued to scream as he unleashed a huge laser to the earth, causing several other lasers to shoot out of the ground, obliterating Envy in the intensity of the laser.

"GAAAAAAAUGH!" Envy screamed as the laser engulfed him.

When the attack was done, Beast Kain dislodged his sword out of Envy's body and proceeded to aim his sword at Envy.

"Are you sure...you should kill me?" Envy asked. "If you kill me, then you won't be able to find Akira..."

Despite what Envy said, Beast Kain didn't seem to listen, as he continued to strike him.

'_Gugh!? So he lost it to the point that he won't listen to others...I hoped that mentioning Akira would've made him hesitate a little, but...'_

Envy quit thinking and rolled out-of-the-way as Beast Kain stabbed at him once more. He tried to get up, but he lost his balance because of his lost left arm.

"Shi–!" Envy muttered, where Beast Kain was about to stab Envy one last time.

_CLANK!_

The two would have looked surprised if the mask and armor didn't cover their faces. Iris had got in the way at the last second and shielded Envy from Beast Kain's attack, while Kidou and Ragna was behind Beast Kain.

"**What!?"** Beast Kain growled.

"...What is the meaning of this, Miss Iris?" Envy asked.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Iris shot back. "I want to save Kain. I couldn't care less about your wellbeing."

"You must really be enjoying my state right now..." Envy snickered, waving the limb that used to be his left arm.

"Honestly yes," Iris smirked. "Seeing you like a pathetic rag doll is an enjoyable sight."

"You little bitch..." Envy muttered, then noticed Kidou and Ragna. "And what's your excuse?"

"Ta' save my best friend, ya' emo clown," Kidou smirked.

"To settle a score, while I'm at it..." Ragna grumbled.

"Is that so..." Envy said. "Well then, I'll be using this window of opportunity you two so graciously created..."

Envy managed to stand back up and limp away from them.

"But you two will regret this act of mercy..." Envy said. "You may have well gave me victory...and the future..."

With that, mustering whatever remaining strength he had, he teleported out of the area. The two fighters then faced Beast Kain.

* * *

Back at Requiem, the group had returned moments later, where Alicia quickly pulled up a screen where the remaining members were.

"Hurry it up, Alicia!" Mary yelled.

"Don't rush me!" Alicia yelled a she pulled up a black screen.

The screen showed Iris facing Beast Kain, while Kidou and Ragna was behind him.

"Those fools..." Alicia muttered.

"Hey, where's Envy?" Burai asked.

"Huh?" Alicia asked, looking around to see that Envy did in fact escape. "He must have snuck out of there while Iris and Kidou were confronting Kain."

"So what now?" Hikari asked.

"Let's hope that those three can manage to calm Beast Kain down," Alicia said.

"Ragna..." Mu said, staring at the screen with a worried look.

"...I understand how you feel, but you must believe in them for now..." Alicia said. "That is the only thing we can do for them..."

Alicia stared at the screen, a rather worried look within her expression. Even if she could sway the others to keep calm, she had a hard time keeping it herself.

"Kain...Kidou..." Alicia murmured.

* * *

Beast Kain frantically searched around for his sister's murderer, but to no avail. He let out a screech of agony, then glared at Iris. She flinched in fear a little, but somehow managed to regain her courage and stood her ground.

"S-Snap out of it! Kain!" Iris yelled. "This isn't you!"

"**Why did you let him escape!?"** Beast Kain growled. **"He took Saya and Akira from me!"**

"K-K-Killing him won't bring them b-back!" Iris yelled.

"**I'll kill him!" **Beast Kain roared. **"I'll kill him and anyone who gets in my way!"**

Beast Kain flung his sword at Iris, but she blocked it with her shield. Despite this though, Beast Kain managed to send her flying.

"Gah!" she cried as she crashed into a tree, falling unconscious.

Beast Kain then turned to Kidou and Ragna and struck them with his sword, but the two of them blocked it. The force pushed them back, but they maintained their ground

"Tch! This is gonna be annoying..." Ragna muttered. "So, you gotta plan?"

"Yes," Kidou said. "Leave it to Iris."

"What!?" Ragna blurted. "Are you insane!? She'll get murdered!"

"I mean get her ta' try to calm him down," Kidou explained. "At this rate, he won't listen to anyone if he's still surgin' with power. If we weaken him, he could probably listen to her..."

"And how do you plan to 'weaken' him?" Ragna asked.

"I could ask ya' the same question," Kidou smirked. "Go all out and try to beat him. Besides, what about the chances of you goin' berserk?"

"Like I give a shit," Ragna growled.

"...Interesting..." Kidou smirked.

Beast Kain glared at the two, confused and disoriented, growling incoherently as his arms hanged down.

"Now then, let's hope for the best," Kidou said as he raised his arm in the air. "Complete Releasing Armagus!"

With a wave of his arm, Kidou released a huge distortional aura that surrounded him.

"Restriction 666 released..." Kain suddenly chanted. "Dimensional Interference Field Deployed!"

The pauldron on his right glove opened up as it started to glow blue.

"Now engaging the Idea Engine..." he went on as a bright aura emitted around him.

"BlazBlue...activate!"

The aura violently reacted as Ragna took a fighting stance.

"How the hell am I still sane? Wouldn't I go berserk like last time?" Ragna asked Kidou.

"Looks like the 'body' won't recognize you as the 'heart' again," Kidou said.

"Alright then," Ragna said, as they faced Beast Kain.

"If you can hear me Kain," Kidou said. "I told ya before. That we would fight it out eventually. Looks like that time's now."

"You're mad right?" Ragna asked. "To have someone precious to you taken away from you, while you can't do a thing to stop it?"

Beast Kain hissed at them as the jaws that surrounded his body gritted.

"Oh I know that feeling all too well..." Ragna muttered. "Can't count the number of times that I just wanted to lash out this goddamn anger..."

Ragna glared at Beast Kain.

"Which is why I can understand why you're letting yourself go as low as to become this mess," Ragna said. "...Speaking of which, you managed to kick my ass and snap me out of it when I went insane with the Azure."

He lifted his sword and pointed it at Beast Kain, who stood back up.

"Now's the time to return that favor," Ragna said. "Now let's go, you idiot!"

* * *

"Ngh...ugh..."

Iris finally woke up after being knocked unconscious.

"What...what happened?" she asked. "Right...I was trying to calm down–!? Kain!"

She frantically searched around for Kain, and instead found him fighting Kidou and Ragna.

"Wh-what!?" she blurted, watching their intense battle rage on, devastating any rubble that got in their way.

The two were pushing Beast Kain back. As Beast Kain tried to strike Ragna, Kidou came from behind and smashed Beast Kain in the gut with his large sword, smashing him far away. As Beast Kain regained his balance, Kidou flew up into the air and crashed against Beast Kain with his sword, creating a large burst of white flames to explode in Beast Kain's face. As Beast Kain got back up, Ragna ran up to him and smashed his fist into his face and sent him flying.

"Dead Spike!"

Ragna unleashed a spike of energy resembling the black beast's head that was even larger than Beast Kain himself that engulfed the berserk warrior, where Ragna smashed his fist into Beast Kain's gut, shooting him out of the dark energy and across the terrain.

"How's that!?" Ragna yelled.

But just as he said that, two large black heads emerged from the ground and gnawed Ragna and Kidou.

"What the–!?" Ragna yelled.

"Oh crap!" Kidou blurted.

The claws pulled them underground, where they eventually were pulled out to the surface, revealing that the jaws were Beast Kain's wings. Beast Kain slammed the two to the ground, where he flew back up and aimed his right arm at them.

"Crap!" Ragna yelled.

"Get behind me!" Kidou yelled, switching his swords.

Beast Kain unleashed a volley of blood-red bullets at the warriors, where Kidou hacked the bullets with his to broad swords just before they hit the two. Once Beast Kain was done, Kidou jumped after him. Beast Kain tried to stop him, but Kidou got around him, grabbed him by the wing and hurled him to the ground. As Beast Kain crashed to the ground, Ragna brandished his sword.

"Inferno Divider!"

Ragna leapt up in a spiraling motion while uppercutting Beast Kain with his sword, hilt first, bringing him back up to the air. There, Ragna followed up with an uppercut while somehow re-holstering his sword, then finished with a strong heel drop wrapped in dark energy.

"Belial Edge!"

Ragna brandished his sword once more and struck down at Beast Kain, pummeling him to the ground. Ragna quickly got back, anticipating another sudden counterattack. He predicted right, as Beast Kain's wings shot at him, but Kidou's two broad swords flew out of nowhere and pinned his wings to the ground. Beast Kain turned around to see Kidou charging at him at blinding speed.

"Out of the way, Reaper!" Kidou yelled.

Ragna got out-of-the-way, just in time as Kidou smashed his larger sword at Beast Kain's gut.

"DDRAIG INTERCEPTOR!"

Kidou smashed the edge of the sword at Beast Kain, while driving him forward. The power of the attack left a trail of white flames that carved the ground, and after a few moments, with all his might, Kidou flung Beast Kain to the air. But he wasn't done there. Kidou jumped after Beast Kain while brandishing his sword.

"Burn, baby BURN!" Kidou boomed as he slammed his sword against Beast Kain.

The impact caused them to plummet to the ground like a meteor, where the resulting explosion of white flames practically reduced the once thriving forest-like area to a charred no man's land. Kidou jumped back, seeing what Beast Kain would do next.

"Did ya' calm down a little?" Kidou asked.

Beast Kain just sprung back up and let out an angry roar. He charged energy to his right arm as he held it in a swinging position.

"Okay maybe not," Kidou said, where Ragna pushed him out-of-the-way. "Well!"

"CARNAGE SCISSOR!"

Ragna brandished his sword and lunged towards Beast Kain, while Beast Kain furiously rushed towards Ragna and slashed his blade. The colliding blades caused the energy within them to explode. As Beast Kain recoiled a little, Ragna formed a large claw of darkness and grabbed Beast Kain.

"DEVOURED BY DARKNESS!"

Ragna lifted him up and bombarded him with a storm of dark tendrils, until crushing him within the claw. But as Beast Kain fell back, his wings representing beast heads grabbed at Ragna. The wings lifted him up, where his limbs that represented the beast head started to enlarge and face Ragna as the limbs that were his wings sunk their teeth into his body. At the signal of a loud screech, the heads struck at Ragna all at once, sending him flying.

"Gaugh!" Ragna gagged as he fell back. "Damn it...this isn't gonna be easy..."

The jaw to Beast Kain's sword opened up, and charged a large amount of energy.

"Oh shit," Ragna mutered.

"Get behind me! Again!" Kidou yelled as he got in front of Ragna and brandished his sword.

Beast Kain slammed the sword to the ground, releasing a huge wave of dark energy that treaded across the ground.

"RYUUHA GOKUENJIN!"

Kidou drove his sword to the ground and released a burst of white flames that dragged across the ground. The two bursts collided, causing a huge pillar of energy to burst. Kidou then charged at Beast Kain, where he smashed the large sword across Beast Kain, where it led to an onslaught of swift, yet heavy strikes, until he kicked Beast Kain in the gut and hurled him across the field. As Beast Kain flew back, Kidou hurled his large sword like a harpoon. The sword stabbed the beast and pinned him to the ground. As Beast Kain screamed in pain, Kidou ran up and drove his sword up, ripping his upper body. He got back up, however, and healed his wound.

"Great, he'll just heal up any damage we dish out on him," Ragna said. "What do we do?"

"Finish him in one shot," Kidou said. "Never thought I'd have to do this, but step back."

Ragna did as he was told, as Kidou cracked his knuckles.

"Alright Kain, get ready for a beatin'!" Kidou roared.

As Beast Kain hurled himself at Kidou, Kidou responded by smashing his fist in Beast Kain's gut, pushing him back.

"**Prepare yerself!" **Kidou roared as he took out his two broad swords and forcibly put them together to become a large sword identical to his first large sword.

He continuously hacked and slashed Beast Kain with it, while during the onslaught, Kidou took out his first large sword and slaughtered Beast Kain with both large swords until he brought them back and charged a tremendous amount of energy within them until they enlarged to become two glowing gargantuan blades of white flames.

"**TWIN EXCALIBUR!"**

He unleashed a cross slash with the two hulking swords, ripping through Beast Kain while blasting him in a huge burst of white flames that practically devoured the landscape. Once the flames ceased, the land that it traveled across was severely burnt, only leaving a complete mess of rubble that used to be a forest. The two swords Kidou used turned back to normal, as Kidou split his second large sword back to two broad swords and put away all three swords.

"Damn..." Ragna said, flabbergasted by the destructive power of Kidou's attack.

Kidou took a deep exhale, and fell to his knees.

"Whoa!" Ragna exclaimed, catching him as he fell.

"The Complete Release...takes a lot outta ya'..." Kidou said, gasping for air. "And I'm not sure if that even finished him off..."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Ragna asked.

"This is the Black Beast we're talkin' bout," Kidou said. "There's no tellin' to how much pain he can take..."

Just as the smoke cleared, Beast Kain was there standing, albeit puking blood from all his jaws and staggering around a little.

"Yeah, I figured as much..." Kidou muttered. "Damn it...but...that should've definitely weakened him..."

Beast Kain tried to move forward, but he staggered a little and had to regain his balance.

"Yep, he's definitely at his limit," Kidou said. "One more strike should do it."

Out of a fit of rage, Beast Kain started to charge seithr to his body.

"Ya' might wanna settle it now," Kidou warned.

Ragna gripped his sword, as he approached Beast Kain.

"From whatever I could remember, you took me out with your strongest move, right?" Ragna asked as he brandished his sword. "Let me return the favor."

"**BLACK ONSLAUGHT!"**

As Beast Kain lunged towards Ragna, Ragna struck Beast Kain up with his sword, stunning him. But as Ragna transformed his sword into a scythe, Beast Kain somehow managed to recover, and flew to the sky and made a pitch back abyss, where several red eyes started to glow from it, glaring at Ragna.

"**BLACK ZAGAM!"**

Eight large serpentine shot out of the abyss and struck at Ragna. In response, Ragna hacked and slashed the serpentine heads as they shot at him one by one, until he managed to take down all eight heads as they fell to the ground lifeless.

"**NIGHTMARE RAGE!"**

Ragna drained the energy of the eight heads to his blade for one last strike, while Beast Kain bulleted out of the darkness and lunged towards Ragna for one last strike.

"**DESTRUCTION!"**

Ragna's final strike and Beast Kain's final strike collided, causing an explosion of dark energy that swallowed the area.

* * *

"Th-that was close..." Iris said.

She had shielded herself from the blast and got back up. What she saw before her was a complete wasteland.

"Whoa..." she murmured. "I couldn't have kept up with them...why am I this weak...?"

She looked to see Ragna and Beast Kain staggering around like limp dolls.

"God...damn it..." Ragna muttered. "Just how much can you take?"

Beast Kain snarled incoherently as he tried to lift his sword, only to fall over.

"Well, at least you can't do anything else now..." Ragna said. "...I need to take this opportunity..."

With whatever strength he had left, Ragna lifted his sword high up in the air.

"!? Ragna!?" Iris asked.

Beast Kain in response lifted his sword to attack Ragna before he could.

"NOOOO!

Before the two could clash once more, Iris got in front of Beast Kain and blocked Ragna's strike.

"Wha–!? Iris!?" Ragna gasped. "The hell're you doing!?"

"Please! Can't you see he's suffered enough!?" Iris begged.

"!? We need to get him out of that form!" Ragna yelled.

"Doesn't mean you need to beat him out of it!" Iris argued.

"So what then!?" Ragna growled.

"Didn't you listen to me!?" Kidou yelled from under some rubble that fell on him. "Also...never do that again! I don't want my pants to get charred too!"

"Right..." Ragna muttered. "Will he listen to us though?"

"Might as well try," Kidou said. "Iris. GO talk to him."

"Me!?" she asked.

"He'll listen to you more honestly than he would to us," Kidou said. "Believe in yerself."

Iris looked a little hesitant, but made up her mind. She faced Beast Kain, who glared at her with questioning eyes.

"**...Why did you let him escape...!?" **Beast Kain growled her. **"He took them away from me! He has to pay! He needs to–!"**

Beast Kain was cut off by Iris slapping her, surprising even Ragna and Kidou.

"Enough is enough!" Iris yelled. "What good if taking revenge if you drag everyone else in it!"

Beast Kain recoiled as he stepped back.

"Please, snap out of it, Kain!" Iris begged. "This isn't you!"

"**But...but..." **Beast Kain muttered.

"Would Saya or Akira want you to be like this!?" Iris yelled, showing Beast Kain his reflection on her shield.

He recoiled. 'Kain' was seeing the beast that he was, and was shocked by it.

"**I..."**

Before Beast Kain could do anything, Iris hugged him.

"Let's...stop this..." Iris said, tears flowing from her eyes.

Beast Kain's eyes widened, as he tried to get her off him, but he saw his claw and blade, and started to tremble.

"**I...I..."**

As he continued to tremble, the dark armor that surrounded him began to dissipate, returning him back to his human state. Soon enough, Kain was back to normal, as he dropped his blade. The eight sword wings that floated behind him shattered and returned to his claw, forming his gauntlet once more. His eyes reverted back to their usual emerald-green luster, where tears started to escape his eyes. He tried to return the embrace, but he hesitated a little, then eventually returned the hug.

"...Saya..." he sobbed. "...Saya..."

* * *

"Looks like they calmed him down," Alicia said.

The group back at Requiem watched the battle, up to the point where Iris calmed Kain down.

"As expected of Brother, to say the least..." Jin commented.

"Thank goodness..." Mu sighed.

"Such an unfitting term for this situation..." Alicia said.

"What!?" Mu blurted.

"They saved Kain!" Izayoi argued.

"And they lost Saya," Alicia shot back.

The two recoiled a bit.

"The darkness in his–no the siblings' lives will always outweigh and erase the light that they obtain," Alicia said. "That is the 'curse' that they had to put up with ever since they obtained their 'power'."

Alicia turned to them, with a rather serious, yet sorrowful glare. While everyone else did not notice it, the members of Kain's team all had sorrowful expressions, where Itsuki had his head lowered and Claude took off his hat in respect.

"...They were lost in an endless forest of grief once they obtained the Azure..."

* * *

"_This wasn't the deal!"_

"_Not now...brat...I'm not in the mood to deal with you..."_

"_Why did you kill her!? Why did you kill Saya!?"_

"_You knew quite well that this would happen eventually. Don't tell me you're regretting the decision now?"_

"_Kh...That's...!"_

"_Or would you have rather wanted me to kill your precious brother?"_

"_!? Of course not!"_

"_Such ironic words, coming from you. I wonder what he would think if he were to find out the truth?"_

"_!? I..."_

"_Kufufufufu...don't worry...you'll meet him again soon enough...'accomplice'..."_

* * *

In the black room where the seithr orb once stood, Envy teleported back, bleeding from where his left arm used to be. He looked at the limb and sighed.

"I better get this patched up," Envy said. "Now then...I have enough more than enough data to complete him."

He looked to the clone of Beast Kain that he made, resting in a fetal position floating at where the orb once existed.

"I better work fast," Envy said. "Or else the data that I risked my life to get will have been for naught..."

He looked up to the darkness that filled the ceiling, wherever it was.

"One more day..." Envy said. "One more day..."

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** And there we go. This should've made up for my hiatus. Yeah, so Saya's dead. Sorry to those who were expecting me to save her, but no. This is where 'shit gets real'. Sorry Saya fans (if there were any). Kain went berserk, yet again, and gave Envy the beating of a life time that I hope all of you who hate Envy enjoyed, where Ragna teams up with Kidou and pretty much does a role reversal to the Demon Ragna VS Beast Kain battle and have the most intense collision of astral heats that-wait, this was the first time I ever did that, so I hope it worked out.

After this hiatus, I plan to update more frequently, but since school's around the corner, I can't make any promises. I will update as fast as I can, and not repeat this.

Anyways, hoped you enjoyed the two updates, I humbly apologize once again for keeping you guys waiting so long and thank you all for being so patient, and tell me what you think.

See ya next time!


	28. Chapter 28: Aftermath

**Chrono Paradigm**

**Chapter 28: Aftermath**

* * *

**AN: **School decides to be a dick and prevent me from writing this chapter with homework and crap. Having a job that makes me work night shifts doesn't help either. But enough of that, enjoy what is possibly the most passive chapter in the entire story.

_TEXT=people's thoughts_

* * *

It was nighttime on the surface. Kain had stared blankly at the rock that was Saya's tombstone. His coat was dirty from dirt that got on him when he made her grave. Around a campfire, Kidou and Iris were cooking an animal they had caught for food, while Ragna was staring blankly at the fire.

"Uh...Kain...?" Iris asked.

Kain didn't respond to her and just continued to stare at the tombstone blankly.

"R-Ragna...?" Iris asked.

She turned to Ragna, but he didn't respond and continued to stare at the fire.

"It can't be helped, Iris," Kidou said as he roasted the pig. "Kain lost his sister...Ragna lost someone who's practically his daughter...not ta' mention Saya resembled his sister..."

"Ragna's...sister?" Iris asked.

"Ya know yer Imperator when you were in the NOL?" Kidou asked.

"Not really...I never met the–," Iris said. "Wait...you don't mean–!?"

"Yer sharper than I thought," Kidou smirked. "Yep. Ragna's sister is yer Imperator."

"But...how...?" Iris asked. "Forget that–why would Ragna be rebelling against the NOL if his sister was in charge!?"

"Ragna didn't know that 'til a month ago," Kidou explained. "As did the others. Plus, the man had his own reasons for rebelling against the NOL."

Iris looked back at Ragna, who was still staring at the fire.

"By the way...his sister's name is also 'Saya'," Kidou said.

"Really?" Iris asked.

"Yep," Kidou said. "Apparently, from what Kain told me in the past, Ragna named his daughter 'Saya' in memory of his sister..."

"...What happens to his sister in the future...?" Iris asked.

"...She dies..." Kidou said.

"What!?" Iris gasped, where Ragna suddenly shot back to life.

"I dunno why..." Kidou explained. "But apparently she couldn't handle the wear and tear that the whole uproar and their fight brought ta her."

"What the hell do you mean she dies!?" Ragna suddenly growled, grabbing at Kidou's neck.

"Ragna!" Iris cried.

Despite pretty much getting strangled, Kidou stayed calm and glared at Ragna.

"That's how it goes in our future," Kidou deadpanned. "And don't ya dare try threatenin' me or any shit like that. As if that'll change anythin'."

Ragna gritted his teeth as he pushed Kidou aside and landed back on the log that he was sitting on.

"So you're telling me that I can't save her!? Is that it!?" Ragna hissed.

"So you were plannin' to do somethin' like that..." Kidou said.

"But in the end you're just saying it in my face!" Ragna growled.

"I didn't say that..." Kidou said. "After all...you now have a window of opportunities..."

"Huh?" Ragna asked.

"I gave you a 'possibility'," Kidou said. "If you don't like it, why don't ya try to change it?"

"But it's the future..." Ragna said.

"So?" Kidou asked. "Whoever said the future was set in stone? You know the path. Now go and change it if ya want."

"You sure about it? Won't doing that change the future?" Ragna asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it could be for the better," Kidou said. "Plus, I was gonna tweak the future anyway, so I can't really say shit about protectin' the future."

"What? How?" Ragna asked.

"...Let's just say that I wanna 'revive' someone important ta me," Kidou said.

Ragna narrowed his eyes at Kidou as he continued to cook the pig.

"...Kidou, was it?" Ragna asked. "Tell me. What were their lives like?"

"...Wouldn't it be better to have yer son tell ya that?" Kidou asked.

They turned to Kain, who hadn't said a word ever since he had to bury his dead sister.

"K-Kain...?" Iris asked.

"Well, Kain?" Kidou asked. "Ya done moping around?"

"Kidou!" Iris yelled.

"Ya think that's cold of me, right?" Kidou asked. "But now's not the time to be wallowin' in the mud."

Kain still was unresponsive. He just ignored Kidou and continued to stare at the grave. Aggravated, Kidou suddenly got up and grabbed Kain by the collar.

"Kidou!?" Iris blurted.

"Quit pouting already! Ya damn baby!" Kidou snarled. "Don't tell me yer gonna just call it quits cause of this, are ya'!? Aah!?"

"Kidou! Stop it!" Iris yelled, trying to pull Kain off of him.

"At least ya had her in yer life!" Kidou yelled, finally getting Kain back to life.

"Eh?" Iris asked.

"I can get that yer feelin' so much pain that it's makin' ya wanna die," Kidou growled. "But ya better be thankful ya even had them in yer life! Do ya think Saya'll want to see ya like this!?"

Kain looked shocked, but couldn't even face Kidou, as tears still stained his expression. Kidou only sighed and let him down.

"Looks like it ain't gonna go that easily..." Kidou muttered. "Then I'll be narratin' yer lives to how much I know. Feel free ta' butt in when you want."

* * *

Back at Requiem, the others were conversing on what to do now.

"Great, so what's the plan now?" Makoto asked, rather irritated. "The goddamn big bad got away!"

"Calm down, Makoto," Tsubaki said. "That's why we're trying to decide on what to do."

"I guess...but damn it! It just pisses me off that he got away AGAIN!" Makoto yelled.

"At least we still have time," Tsubaki said, trying to calm her friend down.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," a voice interrupted.

They all turned to see Rachel and Valkenhayn, who had entered the conversation.

"What does that mean?" Tsubaki asked.

"What I am saying is that time may not be on your side now," Rachel simply implied.

"How would you know that?" Jin asked.

"Why don't you ask our new friends?" Rachel asked. "They seem to know the answer to our fates."

They all turned to Alicia and her crowd, who were still pondering through the black hole that she made to observe Kain and the remaining party.

"What does she mean?" Tsubaki asked them.

Alicia sighed, then turned to the adults.

"It means, that tomorrow, February 3, the NOL will make their move," Alicia explained

"What!?" they gasped.

"What happens tomorrow?" Kagura asked.

"Tomorrow, February 3, 2200 AD," Alicia explained. "In our history, you, Kagura Mutsuki, led a rebellion against the NOL, leading to the overthrow of the Imperator."

"What!?" they gasped.

"In history?" Kagura asked. "What really happened?"

"As expected of General Kagura Mutsuki," Alicia said. "Without our interference, you would keep the NOL on the surface distracted, while Ragna the Bloodedge in his group, along with others for their own personal vendetta, infiltrated the gate that lied below and confronted Terumi."

"How did it end?" Jin asked.

"You all managed to slay Terumi," Alicia said. "And Kagura overthrew the Imperator, claimed the title, and restored the world to its former peace. But..."

"But?" Makoto asked.

"'We're' here," Alicia said. "There's no telling what changes have occurred due to our existence in this era."

She did have a point. Even if the future was written in stone for Alicia and the others, there was no telling what kind of changes have happened because they're in the past.

"Well then," Kagura said. "What would happen if we were to replicate the actions that led to your future?"

"Pardon?" Alicia asked.

"You're afraid that because you're here in an era that you're not supposed to be in," Kagura explained. "You'll alter the future in a way that jeopardizes all of your existences. Right?"

"Well, that is a good point," Alicia said.

"Then if we were to do the same actions that lead to your future," Kagura said. "Then there would be no worries about altering the future, right?"

"Theoretically, yes," Alicia said.

"Then there you go," Kagura said. "Then all you need to do is find a way to make it look like you guys were never here to begin with."

"You mean...erase everyone's memory?" Alicia asked.

"If you were to erase our memories, then we wouldn't know of your existences," Kagura said. "And it won't be jeopardized, thus not having anything like I don't know, awkward romances from stopping you guys from...well...you know..."

"Smooth..." Burai said sarcastically, as all the 'adults' ended up becoming nervous and flustering. "Goddamn it, Mutsuki..."

"Ahem!" Alicia said, getting everyone's attention. "Putting that aside, we need to focus on the events of tomorrow."

"Right," Kagura said. "Should we gather everyone?"

"Yes," Alicia said. "We need all the support we can."

As Alicia and Kagura headed back to the castle, the others were still pondering at her black hole, worried about Kain.

"Leave him be," Alicia said. "We cannot do anything to heal his wound."

Reluctantly, one by one, they left the hole and followed Alicia. Noel, however, stayed behind.

"Noel?" Tsubaki asked.

She didn't respond, but continued to stare at the hole with a look of worry in her face.

"Leave her," Jin advised.

Reluctantly, eventually Tsubaki and Makoto headed back into the castle. Hikari and Itsuki, however, instead turned to Tsubaki before they left.

"? What's the matter?" Tsubaki asked.

"Moth–Ms. Tsubaki..." Hikari said rather uneasily, before bowing her head. "I apologize for my actions the last time we interacted at Ibukido!"

"Eh?" Tsubaki asked, then remembering the first time they met back at Ibukido, where Hikari ended up knocking her unconscious. "Ah...It's okay...that was my fault to begin with."

"I also apologize for my antagonism before..." Itsuki said, bowing his head to Tsubaki. "I let myself be fooled by that demon...and it was my fault that you fell further into the enemy's hand..."

"Hikari...Itsuki..." Tsubaki said. "It's okay...I was also to blame for half of it to begin with..."

"Mother..." Itsuki said.

"It's not your fault," Jin interrupted.

"Jin..." Tsubaki said.

"Come on," Jin said. "Let's head back."

As the two headed for the castle, Hikari and Itsuki took one last worried glance at the black hole and Noel, who had just stood there watching through the hole. Hikari wanted to go comfort her, but Itsuki stopped her.

"Brother..." Hikari said.

"Alicia's right," Itsuki said. "We can't do anything to heal his wound...this is something he needs to do himself..."

Hikari didn't seem to comply with that, but eventually gave in.

"I hope you're right..." Hikari said as they headed back in.

"? Excuse me, Miss Rachel," Claude asked. "But have you seen Carl anywhere?"

"I saw him entertaining the man in the kimono a while back," Rachel simply responded.

"Man in the–OH NO!" Claude suddenly blurted before racing back into the castle.

"What the–!? Claude, wait! Get your ass back here!" Mary yelled, as she and Sieg chased after him.

"Huh!? What's wrong with Carl!?" Makoto yelled, chasing after them.

Burai looked around, and found it strange that no one form Sector Seven was in sight.

"Hey, Rachel," Burai said. "Where're the others from Sector Seven?"

"They returned to their facility a while ago," Rachel said. "Including your parents."

"Huh? Why does Kokonoe want them?" Burai asked.

"...Do you know the nature of your father's Nox Nyctores?" Rachel suddenly asked him.

"Huh? No, he never told me about it," Burai said.

"I see," Rachel said. "...I recommend that you go seek them."

"Huh? Why?" Burai asked.

"You may not know it," Rachel said. "But the Nox in your father's possession will play a rather 'devastating' effect to the outcome of this fight."

"What...?"

* * *

"Now then," Kidou said as he ripped off a piece of the pig and ate it. "Where ta' begin..."

"How about why the hell you, Kain and that Alicia chick seem to be on top of the others," Ragna said.

"Ah, so ya caught on, eh?" Kidou grinned. "Well, that's because we were on a different level compared to the others."

"Explain," Ragna said.

"Well, it all began the first time I met Kain," Kidou said. "Even if our parents were pretty good pals, they were freakin' busy, what with my dad bein' the Imperator of that time, while you were makin' food at yer restaurant and keepin' Noel from cooking."

Ragna had a little uneasy expression on his face, while Iris completely shuddered at the mere mention of 'Noel' and 'cooking'.

"Now then, while the others were bein' pampered or dealin' with their emotional baggage," Kidou explained. "The three of us, well me and Alicia who managed to convince Kain to be our friend, had our training from hell."

"Training from hell?" Ragna asked.

"Ya' know, getting our asses handed to us by you, Jin, Valkenhayn, Dad, Makoto, Tager, and for Kain's sake, Rachel, since the first time they met, he pissed her off.

"So even he managed to get on Rachel's bad side," Ragna chuckled.

"Well, she did call ya a 'poor excuse for a father who can't even raise his son to not become a sociopathic delinquent and 'mutt''," Kidou said.

Ragna's chuckle quickly faded in favor of an enraged scowl.

"Anyway," Kidou said. "After like a few years, or when we hit 13-14, somewhere around there..."

"You and Kain decided to become vigilantes, while Alicia joined in to watch over you two," Iris said, catching Kidou off guard.

"How'd you know!?" Kidou asked.

"Kain told me a bit of it before," Iris said. "Like how he didn't trust society."

Kidou's curious expression suddenly became much grimmer, as he sighed.

"Hoo boy...you sure gave me one hell of a topic ta work with..." Kidou said. "Well, there're a lotta reasons why Kain hates humanity, but I'll name a few more 'severe' reasons."

"Such as?" Iris asked.

"Well, there's the obvious given reason," Kidou said.

"The Azure?" Iris asked.

Kidou nodded, while Ragna's expression became more serious.

"The norms were pretty freaked out as hell once news got ta' them," Kidou said. "It brought up a whole mess of stereotyping, prejudicing, and insults, pretty much making a whole new racism fad."

The fire crackled as Kidou continued to eat a piece of the roasted pig.

"Kain wasn't the only victim," Kidou said. "Saya, Akira, Noel, and yes, you, Ragna. Yer all victims to society's interpretation of the 'monster' that Kain was."

"Tch...Figured as much..." Ragna muttered. "Most people would be scared of something like that..."

"On top of that, Kain was exposed to society's 'darker' side," Kidou said.

"'Darker'?" Iris asked.

"If ya don't know, then good," Kidou said. "After seein' that, Kain lost almost all of his faith in humanity. Emphasis on 'almost'."

"'Almost'?" Ragna asked.

"He still had some hope in believin' in humanity," Kidou said. "A slimmer of a chance, yes, but he still had some hope. Which society in turn decided crushed without any trace."

"How?" Ragna asked.

"Well that was–," Kidou was about to say, only to be interrupted by the sound of a gun behind his head.

The two jumped to see that it was Kain, who had apparently snapped out of his depression trance, only to have his rifle up against Kidou's head.

"Kain!?" Iris gasped.

"Not another word," Kain threatened in a tone that even scared Iris.

"...Guess I overstepped my boundaries there..." Kidou said, unfazed from a rifle at point-blank range from his head. "But at least yer back in reality now."

"So you were gonna spill your best friend's biggest secret just to slap some sense into me?" Kain asked angrily. "Aren't you some friend..."

"If it could get you to stop moping, then so be it," Kidou said.

Kain growled a little, then turned back to the grave.

"Kain...what is he talking about?" Iris asked.

He didn't respond to her.

"Kain...?" Iris asked.

"You shouldn't ask him that..." Kidou advised. "If he wants ta tell you, he'll do it when he feels like it. Otherwise, don't. It's not that good of a secret anyway..."

Iris looked at Kain, who didn't budge.

"Kain..." Iris said, worried about him.

"Anything else we should know?" Ragna asked.

"That depends on what ya want ta know," Kidou said. "Or what ain't steppin' in his privacy."

Iris didn't seem to be paying attention anymore, as she was more worried about Kain. Noticing this, Kidou sighed.

"Why don't you talk ta him?" Kidou asked.

"Huh!? Me!?" Iris blurted.

"Well, a man would rather have a cute and sexy lady comfort him than a hulking yet equally sexy shirtless man," Kidou said. "We all don't roll that way."

"O–Okay?" Iris asked, confused and embarrassed.

"Anyway," Kidou said, putting the quote aside. "He'll probably open up ta ya more than me."

"D-Do you really think so?" Iris asked.

"Trust yerself," Kidou said.

She glanced at Kain nervously, but took a deep breath and gained some confidence.

"Now, let's go, Ragna," Kidou said, grabbing Ragna's arm.

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Ragna asked.

"C'mon, let's give the loving couple their alone time," Kidou teased, making Iris blush.

While Ragna looked a bit confused as Kidou pushed him to the side, Iris glanced towards Kain.

* * *

"Well hasn't this been one suckish day."

Back at his lab, Relius was struggling to ignore Hazama's constant ranting of the battle yesterday. It didn't help that Nu, which he had spent what may have been at least a month recalibrating and retuning to peak condition, was given back to him as a bloody rag, thus rendering all of Relius' hard work null and pointless, and forcing Relius to repair her **again**.

"I'm not in the mood, right now, Terumi," Relius muttered angrily.

"But c'mon, you would think this is something interesting, right?" Hazama asked nonchalantly as he took a drink from the mini fridge that was in Relius' lab. "You always kept bitching about 'wanting to see the boy's full potential' and whatever, right? I'm giving you an in-depth detailed description of just how much the brat kicked your supposedly ass, and you aren't even paying attention! C'mon, lighten up, ya old nerd. Here have a drink."

Even Relius is amazed at how he is able to withstand being 'friends' with Hazama of all people, much less tolerate his constant verbal annoyance without so much as splitting a nerve.

"No thanks," Relius practically growled.

"Aren't you such a bore," Hazama muttered as he took a sip at the drink. "So how long until she's repaired?"

He pointed to Nu, who was back in her tank, her naked body covered with injuries form multiple swords and numerous singe marks from lasers that had been fired at her.

"I can get her repaired within a few hours, since all the other procedures are already done," Relius said.

"Ain't that good to hear," Hazama said. "Because you know, tomorrow's the big day!"

"...I already know that," Relius said. "We need to be prepared for anything."

"You do know we need to keep an eye on two annoying factors if you wanna be prepared for anything," Hazama pointed out.

"...Don't even remind me..." Relius grumbled. "I won't make any mistakes this time."

"So how do you plan on getting the lynchpin anyway?" Hazama asked.

"Leave that to me," Relius responded. "We shall obtain it."

"Well you better get it before the damn cat, or the shitty vampire does something," Hazama said.

"That's right..." Relius said. "Once she finds out, Kokonoe won't let this go unanswered...what will she do...?"

"You want me to go sabotage some stuff over there?" Hazama asked.

"...No, that won't be necessary," Relius said. "I shall deal with her once I finished repairing the Sword."

"Alright then," Hazama said, setting the drink down on his table and heading for the door.

"? Where are you going?" Relius asked.

"Since the big day's tomorrow," Hazama grinned. "I better get my A game on, and go for some practice. It's been a while, y'know?"

With that, Hazama left Relius, whistling a cheery tune as he twirled his knife without a care in the world. Finally left alone, Relius decided to commence the repairs for the sword in peace.

"How's it going?" a familiar voice asked.

Relius heeded no acknowledgment to the voice, but could recognize who it was, much to his annoyance.

"...So you came, jester," Relius said.

From the shadows of the room, Envy emerged from it, covered with his usual hat and mask, and a black cloak, hiding his body. Ignis got in front of Relius, but he signaled her to stand down.

"So, do you have what I want?" Envy asked. "Don't tell me you forgot about our deal, right?"

* * *

_A few hours ago._

* * *

Relius was sitting in his lab, working on his computer and searching for any files that Envy might have overlooked to erase, but to no avail.

"I should have known..." Relius grumbled. "If anything, that jester wouldn't leave any careless mistakes unless he planned them ahead...that much I am certain of him..."

As Relius decided to switch tasks, Ignis suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and faced a dark shadow that casted in the room.

"...Show yourself," Relius ordered.

From the shadows, a man in a cloak that covered his entire body, only revealing his mouth and sickly-blonde hair emerged from it. From the hood, two blood-red eyes glared at the mad scientist and his puppet.

"...May I presume that Envy sent you?" Relius asked as Ignis brandished its claws.

The man nodded his head and took out a phone of some sort and handed it to Relius. Relius stared at the contraption for a moment, then proceeded to answer it.

"_I presume you met my colleague," _Envy said.

"Jester..." Relius growled.

"_Before trying to strike a conversation,"_ Envy said. _"Since I am currently busy at the moment...this is a pre-recorded message, so it would be useless to just let your mouth fly on."_

Envy's nonchalant insults seem to rival Hazama's nonchalant sadistic nature to an extent, getting to Relius' nerves.

"_Now, I presume you would want to cut right to business,"_ Envy said. _"I want full schematics and interior designs of the NOL Main Headquarters."_

"What!?" Relius growled.

"_Now before you get all angry with me, I have something to offer in exchange," _Envy went on. _"As you may have noticed by now, I have deleted all files regarding my research from your mainframe. You must be really annoyed by now. All that valuable data, gone, without any way to recover it..."_

'So he plans to give me the data in return for that, eh...?' Relius thought.

"_Exactly," _Envy said, as if he knew what Relius was thinking, surprising the wise mad man. _"You know you would kill for such valuable data that could help you achieve your goals."_

Relius let Envy go on, as he and Ignis eyed the man in the cloak, who returned the glare with his own.

"_...I hear you are interested in witnessing the 'destruction' of the world," _Envy said. _"I personally don't quite get it...is that all you want? What point is there to destroy such a valuable resource? And what will possibly lie after that?"_

'How is he able to know what I'm going to think in a pre-recorded message?' Relius thought. 'This must be the work of his 'weapon'...'

"_Can you not ponder at the possibilities of a new world?"_ Envy asked. _"A new, perfect world...maybe perfect enough for you to complete your 'Detonator'..."_

"What...?" Relius blurted.

"_Oh you worked so hard to make your precious little doll, even sacrificing your beloved wife and family to do so..." _Envy said._ "And yet your doll has lost to your grandson's doll, ironically made by Kokonoe of all people."_

"What?" Relius asked.

"_Did you honestly think that a ten year old boy could reverse engineer a Nox Nyctores? One that is even more advanced and complicated than the previous Nox?" _Envy asked. _"No, no, no...It was Kokonoe who reverse engineered the initial version of the Palladion and fused it with its current host to save him, while Claude made all the final adjustments…"_

Relius was speechless. Kokonoe of all people managed to succeed in the one thing that Relius has strived to accomplish? The fact just made him singe with utter rage and spite, rare for even him.

"_Help me, and you shall obtain all you desire to perfect your Detonator, or whatever,"_ Envy said. _"Of course, if that is your goal. Honestly, I don't care...but, this is something you can't refuse, can you?"_

Relius thought for a moment. This may as well be a trap. It was so obvious, yet to seek that light he had seen. The 'soul' of a human. Its magnificence. If he could obtain it, then his research could reach its peak. He could finally achieve the perfect 'doll'.

"_...We shall meet again..." _Envy said.

* * *

Relius muttered under his breath and took out a disk, which he flung to Envy. The disk stopped in midair as it reached him, and floated within his grasp. He grabbed it with his right hand and tucked it in his cloak.

"And here's my end of the bargain," Envy said, taking out another disk that he flung to Relius.

Ignis caught it, and handed it to him. Relius examined it carefully, making sure there were no physical irregularities.

"Don't worry, I didn't rig it in any way, shape or form," Envy chuckled. "It has the data you want."

Relius seemed to stare at Envy, but decided to load the data on his computer. On it was several complicated schematics and data charts about the Black Beast.

"See? I kept my promise," Envy said. "Now, to make sure you didn't try to pull something."

Envy ejected the data disk from Relius' computer, and loaded the one he received.

"...Mmhm...Everything's in order," Envy said, satisfied, who then proceeded to eject the data disk and tuck it away. "Pleasure doing business with you."

"...Since this will be the last time we meet like this before the 'destruction'...One last question..." Relius asked. "What is your true name?"

Envy looked back, and laughed.

"Like I would tell you, 'accomplice'," Envy said. "But...if you want to know, try to figure it out with this hint."

"...Hint?" Relius asked.

Envy stood for a while, then placed his hand on his mask.

"Masks are used for disguises..." Envy said. "It hides the truth from those who seek it the most...the truth...is the harshest pain one can feel..."

"...Is that it?" Relius asked.

"Also," Envy said, tilting his head to him. "I am a very 'envious' man..."

With that, Envy disappeared, leaving Relius to ponder on Envy's hints, and the fate of himself in the future.

* * *

At a large dining hall at Requiem, Carl was running for his dear life, as Amane was chasing after him.

"Please stop this already, Mr. Amane!" Carl pleaded as he ran from him.

"C'mon, Carl!" Amane exclaimed. "What's so wrong with joining my troop!?"

"Like I said before, I refuse!" Carl cried. "Sis! Stop laughing and help me out!"

From near the entrance, Nirvana, along with Taokaka, were watching the charade.

"Can I join in, Short Guy? Pretty Guy?" Tao asked.

"Save me already!" Carl yelled.

As the chase continued, Claude and Sieg broke the door open, with Makoto and Mary following from behind.

"Hey! What's going on here!?" Claude growled.

"Ah! Claude! Help me!" Carl pleaded as he ran from Amane.

Sieg immediately jetted to them, broke the chase up, grabbed Carl and lifted him high up out of Amane's reach. Claude immediately smacked Amane in the head as soon as Carl was in safe hands.

"Hey! What was that for!?" Amane yelled.

"Quit scaring the boy!" Claude yelled. "Can't you see he refused to join your troop!?"

"C"mon! Someone like you would be perfect for them!" Amane complained.

"You heard the boy! Stop trying to make him gay!" Mary yelled.

"Hey! I am NOT gay!" Amane yelled.

"Yeah, and you've been doing a good job convincing us otherwise," Mary said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Are you alright, Carl?" Makoto called out to him.

"I'm fine, Miss Makoto!" Carl called back.

"Quit fooling around," Alicia scolded, as she summoned her servant to pry Carl from Sieg and smack Amane in the head.

"Ow!" Amane yelled.

Alicia's servant set Carl down to the ground, as it disappeared.

"Now," Alicia said. "We need to get to business."

"Wh-what kind of business?" Carl asked.

"Starting a war," Alicia said.

"W-What?" Carl asked.

"Is everyone here?" she asked.

"Everyone who is present in the castle as of now are all gathered here," Valkenhayn reported, as he and Rachel walked into the hall.

"? Where's Azrael?" Mary asked.

"Azrael left off on his own an hour ago," Claude said. "Said he was going to 'look for someone to fight until Kain got back' or something."

"I see..." Alicia said. "Well, I guess we can tell him, along with Sector Seven later..."

"Mew? Discuss what, purple lady?" Tao asked.

"Purple–!?" Alicia blurted, before pinching the bridge of her nose and taking a deep breath. "Tao, please go play outside or something. I'll give you some food later."

"Okay meow!" Tao yelled cheerfully, before exiting the room.

"I'll explain it–no, I'll have Master Jubei explain it to her later..." Alicia said. "Speaking of which, where is Master Jubei, and Platinum for that matter?"

"Those two went with Miss Kokonoe earlier," Carl said.

"Odd..." Alicia said. "But whatever...for now, let's discuss the plan..."

"Yes," Rachel said. "So, could you repeat how this battle occurs?"

"Well in public," Alicia explained. "Kagura unleashed a coup de' tat when the Imperator was at Ibukido, where Kagura would overthrow the Imperator and become the new Imperator."

"What really happened?" Jin asked.

"Kagura's coup is a distraction," Alicia said. "You all end up sneaking into the ruins of Ibukido, where Terumi and Relius await."

"What happens after that?" Tsubaki asked.

"We do not know," Alicia said. "You never bothered to give us all the details. We only know the events up to the knowledge we were given with."

"So in other words," Kagura said. "You're telling us to go find out for ourselves."

"Basically," Itsuki said.

"Alright then," Kagura said, taking out a phone and dialing it.

"? What're you doing?" Claude asked.

"Oh, just confirming some information," Kagura said, where the call connected. "Yo, Bullet! How's the situation going there?"

"_The Library made their move,"_ Bullet said from the other line. _"They're starting to gather soldiers to the perimeter."_

"I see..." Kagura said. "So they're catching on...figured as much, considering what happened recently..."

"Very well…" Alicia said. "We will have to work with the situation we brought ourselves into..."

Kagura nodded in agreement.

"Alright, rendezvous with my group back at the large manor in the outer section of Ibukido," Kagura instructed. "Make sure you aren't spotted by anyone from the NOL. Answer the door, and my aid, Hibiki Kohaku out to answer it. Tell him that you're sent by me and use the passcode 'Black Gale'. He should recognize it and let you in. Wait there and tell the others about the current situation. I'll meet back up with you guys later."

"_All right then," _The line went dead.

"Alright then," Kagura said. "I'll organize the coup once I head back."

"Once you're done," Alicia said. "Just signal me, and I'll teleport you back to Requiem. Here."

Alicia snapped her fingers, where a smaller black hole appeared in front of her and floated towards Kagura.

"That'll come in handy," Kagura said, accepting the small hole. "Alright then, once I organize the coup, I'll head back here and we can settle on the plan."

"Good," Alicia said, as she opened up another portal, connecting her to Kain's situation. "Kidou, can you hear me? We're going to–."

"Shut up!" Kidou hushed. "We're watching something here!"

"...What?" Alicia asked.

Curious the others gathered around the portal and peeked in, where Kidou and Ragna were hiding behind a bush.

"What're you doing?" Hikari asked.

"SHHH!" Kidou hushed, pointing ahead.

They all looked in to see Iris, behind Kain. While the men were a bit confused, the girls shoved them aside and looked in with wide eyes.

* * *

Kain continued to stare at the grave blankly.

"Is this seat open?" Iris asked from behind.

Kain didn't answer, so Iris sat in the empty spot behind him, and laid her back against his.

"...Do you remember when we were kidnapped at the NOL headquarters?" Iris asked him. "My parents were killed protecting me..."

Kain didn't seem to respond.

"I was devastated...I felt like I couldn't protect them, even though I have this amazing power that others would just die for..." Iris said. "And I wanted to just unleash my anger at someone..."

Iris looked up to the dark sky.

"But in the end...just backlashing at someone won't bring them back..." Iris said. "It won't solve anything...isn't that how you're feeling right now, Kain?"

Kain didn't respond to her. Sighing, Iris turned around and embraced him, finally catching his attention and making him blush a little at the warm feeling of her chest against his back.

"I understand how much pain you must be in..." Iris said. "But you helped me heal from the pain..."

"...Eh?" Kain finally asked.

"Well, it still makes me sad that Mom and Dad are gone," Iris admitted. "But...you comforted me at my time of need. You helped me when I needed it..."

Kain couldn't see it from his angle, but Iris was blushing as she tightened her embrace.

"You showed me that I wasn't alone..." Iris cooed. "Or at least, you would be there for me..."

"S-So...?" Kain stammered.

"So, in return..." Iris said softly as she set her head on his back. "I'll be there for you...by your side..."

"Iris..." Kain said.

"So...please...don't give up on us..." Iris said. "Don't give up on yourself..."

Kain's eyes widened as he turned to look at Iris. He tried to pet her with his left hand, but hesitated. Noticing this, Iris took his left hand with her hand and pressed the palms together.

"You don't need to hesitate, you know..." Iris said.

"But...I'm..." Kain choked.

"You're not a monster," Iris said, predicting what he would say. "You're a fine human named Kain B. Vermillion. You're our friend. You're..."

Iris didn't finish the sentence, turning away embarrassed and blushing. Kain looked rather surprised, but smiled and rubbed her head.

"Damn it...to think I would get pitied by you of all people," Kain said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Iris pouted.

"Nothing," Kain laughed. "But, that did make me feel better...thanks..."

Kain stood back up, where Iris got off him.

"I can't give up now..." Kain said. "We finally made it all the way here..."

Kain stared at Saya's grave, but instead smiled.

"I couldn't protect you again..." Kain said. "But unlike last time...I'm gonna take charge now..."

"Kain..." Iris said.

"You go take your rest, you deserved it..." Kain said, a newfound flare returning to his expression. "You just watch your brother kick that asshole jester's ass from heaven."

Iris smiled, happy for Kain's recovery. She headed back to tell Kidou the good news, but forgot that she was standing in front of a rock and tripped over it.

"Kya!" she cried.

"Whoa–Iris!" Kain yelled, grabbing her hand to stop her, but fell over instead.

"Ow..." Kain muttered. "Hey, Iris...you alright?"

But as he got back up, he felt something soft in his hand. He looked down, and to his horror and embarrassment, he found himself groping Iris' chest.

"Uh...K-K-Kain...?" Iris squeaked, becoming more and more embarrassed as Kain didn't bother to let go.

"I-I-I-I can explain! This isn't what it looks like, I swear!" Kain stammered.

But before he could do anything, instincts told him to dodge now. He listened to it, and ducked, only to have a spike made from a shadow barely miss his head.

"Kaaaaiiiin..." three rather angry voices growled.

He jerked his head to the other direction, only to see Alicia, Hikari and Mary who at some point entered the area, brandishing their weapons and are absolutely **furious **beyond reason. The boys who followed him were apparently trampled, indicating that they were cushions for the girl's fall.

"And he's screwed," Kidou said.

"Wait! This isn't what it looks like, I swear!" Kain yelled.

"Oh?" Alicia asked annoyed. "It looked like you were groping Iris' chest."

"How could you!" Hikari yelled. "Even when you have me to grope to your heart's content, you instead grope her chest before mine!?"

"I never meant to–Wait, what!?" Kain yelled.

"Like I give a shit for your excuses, you goddamn pervert!" Mary growled. "You need to get punished!"

"Wait–I can explain!" Kain yelled, trying to plead his innocence. "Iris! Help me out here!"

Kain turned to Iris for some help, but she was too embarrassed and somewhat content to do anything.

"Oh crap..." Kain moaned. "I'm innocent damn it!"

"NO BUTS!" the three girls screamed as they charged to maim Kain.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!" Burai yelled as he, Itsuki, and Kidou jumped out of the hole to stop the three maidens from slaughtering their love. "Calm the hell down!"

Burai pulled Hikari from Kain, Itsuki managed to pry Mary off, and Kidou managed to calm Alicia down. What was left of Kain was...questionable.

"K-Kain?" Iris asked.

"Maybe I should give up..." Kain wept in pain as he got back up.

* * *

"Yo, cool it!" Burai yelled as he distanced Hikari from Kain.

"But Kain–!" Hikari growled, not giving up on his punishment.

"Sheesh it was just an accident!" Burai reasoned. "Do you really think he'll like you if you try to kill him!?"

Hikari realized this and stopped her slaughtering.

"But–he–!" Hikari stammered.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, we get it," Burai said. "Why the hell did I fell for an overzealous chick like you?"

"Huh? Did you say something?" Hikari asked.

"N-Nothing," Burai quickly stammered.

* * *

"Calm down," Itsuki said, keeping Mary from injuring more than just Kain.

"Shut it! I need to teach that pervert a lesson!" Mary growled.

"You can't just resort to physical violence every time someone does something wrong," Itsuki said as he pinched Mary's tail, making her yelp and fall to her knees.

"You jerk..." Mary whined.

"Come on, I'll make you a chestnut parfait later, okay?" Itsuki sighed.

"Really!?" Mary shot up excitedly.

"Sure," Itsuki said, a rather gentle smile on his face.

"...Alright then..." Mary muttered, hiding a blush on her face.

"Itsuki..." Claude said rather surprised, watching the two. "So that was it...huh..."

Sieg stared at Itsuki as he helped her up.

* * *

"They grow up so fast," Kidou chuckled, making a fake tear.

"What are you, his dad?" Alicia asked. "Oh wait, his dad is over there."

"Now, now," Kidou said. "Y'know we were practically his parents when they weren't around."

Alicia only sighed as she watched Kain and Iris trying to sort things out (horribly at that).

"Ya havin' some second thoughts?" Kidou asked.

"Wha–!? Of course not!" Alicia denied, turning the other way.

"Haha, yer easier to read than most people think," Kidou chuckled.

"Be quiet," Alicia grumbled, staring at the two. "...I should've anticipated the possibility of someone charming Kain's heart. I honestly should've."

"Then why didn't ya'?" Kidou asked.

"...Even if one of us could win Kain's heart," Alicia said. "We could never be sure if he was truly 'happy'. If anything, I want Kain to choose who he wants to spend his life with. I wanted him to reach out for his own happiness."

"You mean you wanted him to choose you?" Kidou asked.

Alicia flustered before hitting Kidou on the back of the head.

"Ow..." Kidou moaned.

"All I want," Alicia said. "Is for Kain to be happy. He has been denied that for years...he deserves even the slightest bit of happiness...he deserves the right to pursue his own happiness."

Kidou glanced towards the two. As they apparently settled things, they laughed with each other. An expression that had never seemed to belong to Kain made itself clear on him.

"...Ya gotta point there," Kidou said. "...Ya remember what Saya was blabberin' about back when she was impaling Kain?"

"Huh?" Alicia asked. "What're you talking about?"

"...If ya don't know, then good," Kidou said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alicia asked.

"Ya don't need ta know," Kidou said. "Now, why don'cha try to woo Kain over by bein' pretty?"

Alicia blushed at that statement, then defiantly left him, but not before telling him "Idiot..." Kidou looked at the two, grinning and snickering.

"They do make a cute couple..." Kidou chuckled.

* * *

Watching the whole commotion, Ragna only sighed, muttering something about wasting the effort to worry about him, and sat down on a log.

"Ragna?" a familiar voice asked.

He turned to see Noel, and Jin, behind him.

"The hell did you two get here?" Ragna asked.

"We came through the hole that Alicia made," Jin explained.

"Are you alright, Ragna?" Noel asked.

"...Yeah, I'm fine," Ragna sighed. "Jeez, you're too early to worry about me, stupid."

"Hey! I wasn't just worried about you, I was also worried about Kain!" Noel argued. "And stop calling me stupid!"

"Alright, alright," Ragna muttered. "So, what're we gonna do now?"

"We're working on that now, Brother," Jin explained. "Kagura Mutsuki is planning a coup de tat on the Librarium at Ibukido. We're going to discuss further plans once he finishes his preparations."

"Alright then," Ragna said. "...So, you're okay, Jin?"

"? Why wouldn't I be?" Jin asked.

"Well, you know...with me and _Noel_..." Ragna said. "And then there's Kain..."

Jin made a rather irritated sigh, before clenching the bridge of his nose.

"Personally, I don't get it," Jin muttered. "It honestly makes me sick just imagining it. But..."

He glared at Noel, who backed off a little scared, but regained her composure.

"There's no point into complaining about it now..." Jin said. "And personally, I kind of favor this outcome..."

"Huh?" Ragna asked. "Why the hell would you?"

"Is it because..." Noel started.

"Yo," Kain said as he and Iris walked up to them, interrupting their conversation. "What's going on?"

"So you feel better now?" Ragna asked.

"Yeah...sorry for making you guys worried," Kain muttered.

"Seriously, all it took was for her to hug you," Ragna muttered, before making a mischievous grin. "You perverted brat."

"How does that make me a perverted brat!?" Kain yelled, flustering a little.

"Calm down," Ragna said. "Now then, we should head back and–."

But before he could finish that sentence, an unknown sensation filled him.

"Huh? What the–!?"

Before he could realize it, his right arm suddenly stopped working as it fell like a rock.

"Brother!?" Jin asked.

"Ragna!? What's wrong!?" Noel cried as the two went to help Ragna.

At the same time, Kain suddenly felt extremely nauseous, as he fell backwards.

"Kain!?" Iris yelped, catching him before he could plummet.

"What...the hell...!?" Kain practically choked. "My head...it hurts...!?"

He tried to support his head with his left hand, but his left arm was stiff all of a sudden and wouldn't even listen to him.

"What's going on!?" Iris cried.

The others, noticing the commotion, went to help out Kain and Ragna.

"What is this!?" Hikari cried.

"The Azure...it's nullified!?" Alicia gasped.

"What!?" Ragna and Kain gasped.

As they were trying to figure out what was going on, Sieg suddenly shot up, and made a defensive stance.

"Huh!? Who's there!?" Claude yelled.

Everyone, save Ragna and Kain, brandished their weapons at the direction Sieg was facing.

"Huh!? Is someone there!?" a voice suddenly called out.

"That's our question!" Ragna growled.

"Show...yourself...!" Kain managed to yell.

"That voice...! Is it...!?" the voice gasped.

From the woods, the figure emerged from the woods and in front of everyone. A rather surprised and confused expression filled everyone's face. The figure was a young woman with long, brown hair tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon, and bright red eyes, while wearing a uniform of some sort with a red ribbon tie and a black cape-like cloth. Her eyes widened as she saw Ragna.

"Ragna...?" she asked.

* * *

**To be continued**

* * *

**AN:** Okay this felt more like a filler than an actual chapter, so forgive me if you don't like it. I also kind of feel that Kain recovering from Saya's death was a little too rushed, but with the situation they're in, I think it's justified. But besides the point this was really plot-relevant nonetheless, even more than most chapters. What, with Envy managing to convince Relius into cooperating with him, the messenger boy, and several dropped comments that could make you wonder just what the hell happened to the kids that made them so messed up. Also that one last character that showed up. I'm pretty sure I gave you guys a lot of stuff to think about.

And from the last few reviews that I got, people have commented that Kain is overpowered. Yes, I'll admit it, Kain is overpowered even to me. Sorry about that, but cut me some slack. This was my first attempt into making an OC. I just hope you guys don't think he's a Gary Stu or a self-insert, oh God that would be horrible! I hope I did my best to avoid it, not making Kain some omnipotent super character who's just perfect. If he was perfect, then this story wouldn't have happened to begin with, anyway, so he must've screwed up at some point that allowed Envy to escape to the past, and he did lose his memories. I should shut up now.

Anyways, done with the rant, hoped you enjoyed the chapter, and tell me what you think.


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